An Italian man is under investigation for benefit fraud and hiding a body after allegedly dressing up as his deceased mother to claim her pension. The 56-year-old from Borgo Virgilio, near Mantua in northern Italy, is accused of claiming thousands of euros in payments following his mother's death in 2022.
According to investigators, the man hid his mother's body in his home and failed to report her death. The fraud was uncovered earlier this month when he allegedly disguised himself as his mother to renew her ID card at the local council office. A suspicious staff member alerted police.
Authorities compared an official photo of the deceased woman with that of her son, leading to a search of the man's home, where they found the body hidden in the laundry room. Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told Corriere della Sera that the man shuffled into the council office dressed as 'an old woman', wearing lipstick, nail polish, jewellery, and a dark brown wig.
The mayor said the man attempted to imitate a female voice but occasionally let slip masculine tones. The council staff member noted that the man's neck appeared too thick and his wrinkles seemed unnatural, adding that the skin on his hands did not resemble that of an 85-year-old woman.
Corriere reported that the man, an unemployed nurse, had an annual income of €53,000 (£46,500) from his mother's pension and three properties. This case follows similar incidents in Italy, including a 2023 discovery in Verona where a man kept his mother's body for five years to claim benefits, and another in Puglia where a son hid his father's body for a decade.
