BELLINGHAM — A Whatcom County woman who impersonated her dead mother in order to receive her mother’s pension benefits has been sentenced to four years in prison.
The Bellingham Herald reported that Loewen Craft, 60, collected more than $3,000 per month from her mother’s pension after Betty Becker died in 2007.
Court documents show that Craft admitted her mother into the hospital shortly before her death using a different name and birthdate so she could collect her mother’s social security and pension checks.
Craft pleaded guilty in Whatcom County Superior Court to first-degree theft, first-degree identity theft and six counts of forgery. She must pay nearly $400,000 in restitution.
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