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Jeani Mulligan’s mother-in-law may have died, but the 43-year-old Keller woman kept her memory alive, in the form of cashed Social Security checks, for more than a decade.
Between December 30, 2000, the date of her mother-in-law’s death and February 2013, Mulligan received $124,825.30 intended for her dead relative. In September, she pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, a federal charge than can come with as many as 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
After her plea, she was released until her sentencing hearing. While out on bond, she tested positive for meth and eventually copped to using the drug to a federal probation officer. She was allowed to stay out of prison and seek treatment.
Friday, U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle handed Mulligan her sentence, 27 months in the federal pen and $124,825.30 in restitution.
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In the midst of cashing the ill-gotten checks in 2006, Mulligan served 75 days in Tarrant County jail for the possession of methamphetamine, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
