Authorities say Nicholas Severino's father collected benefits under an assumed name
Nicholas Severino TRENTON -- A South Jersey man was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing more than $243,000 in Social Security benefits that his father had accrued under an assumed name.
Paulsboro resident Nicholas Severino Jr., 63, collected benefits for nearly 30 years before he was caught, the state Attorney General's Office said in a statement Friday.
Authorities say the elder Severino began the fraud decades ago when he took a second job under the assumed name Frank DiCarlo in order to provide for his son after his death.
When Severino Sr. died in April of 1984, his own benefits ceased, but the non-existent DiCarlo, who had a separate Social Security number, continued to receive benefits paid to a bank account shared by father and son, authorities said.
"Every month for nearly three decades, Severino stole an average of $700 in Social Security benefits -- benefits needed to keep the program strong for deserving retirees," acting Attorney General Hoffman said in a statement. "Like his father before him, Severino thought he could cheat the system, but we're putting such cheats on notice that their selfish criminal conduct will land them in prison."
The fraud was discovered when officials from the Social Security Administration, acting under its Centenarian Project, checked up at the listed address for DiCarlo when records showed the person with that Social Security number was 100 years old, authorities said.
Severino Jr. pleaded guilty in November to a charge of second-degree theft of property lost, mislaid or delivered under mistake.
He was sentenced to the state prison term Friday by Superior Court Judge Robert Becker in Gloucester County and signed a civil consent judgment requiring him to pay $243,844 in restitution, authorities said. His court-appointed attorney could not immediately be reached.
S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
