Posted on 05/12/2007 5:12:19 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
TACOMA, Wash. A Vancouver man was sentenced Friday to 13 months in prison for pretending to be mentally retarded in order to claim disability benefits.
Pete J. Costello, 28, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to defraud the government and to Social Security fraud. He began receiving disability benefits when he was 8. He was ordered to repay the $59,226 he has received since turning 18.
Costello, who cannot read or write, dictated a letter to his public defender that was submitted to the judge before sentencing and filed in court.
"I know that it was wrong to 'act like a child' in the Social Security office when that is not how I really am," the letter said. "I feel very bad about this and want to do everything I can to pay this money back."
Costello's mother, Rosie Costello, 46, who also pleaded guilty, is to be sentenced Thursday for coaching her son and daughter to feign mental retardation. Authorities have not found the daughter.
Pete Costello continued to fake retardation into his mid-20s _ picking at his face, slouching and appearing uncommunicative in meetings with Social Security officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
He must really be retarded if he thought that pretending to be retarded would work. In that case, it couldn’t have been a scam, so he must be innocent. Set him free!
True story.
The wife purchased very-expensive light-bulbs from a disabled-persons organization as a donation, which precipitated me finding myself the object of repeated dinner-time phone calls to buy more bulbs.
The caller would typically be a mildly retarded person.
So one time I decide to get into a conversation, carefully explaining that i would be happy to make a straight donation, but I’m not buying any more light bulbs.
As the conversation went on, the “retarded person” sounded slightly less retarded. Pretty soon the affect was gone altogether.
So I said — “so what is your disability?”
He said, “I was a painter and fell off a ladder and hurt my back.”
Hmmm. I said — “so you’re not really retarded then, are you?” Long silence.
I wanted to ask — so do they train you to talk like that on the phone?
I imagined what THAT classroom training exercise must have looked like — I think it may be a good format for a sit-com.
Seems he wasn’t faking.
Why didn`t he just register as a Democrat? Proof enough of retardation, he could have gotten away with it.
Some people have no shame or a conscience.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.