An Italian man is under investigation for benefit fraud and hiding a body after allegedly dressing up as his dead mother to claim her pension. The 56-year-old from Borgo Virgilio, near Mantua, is suspected of disguising himself with a wig, makeup, and jewellery to impersonate his mother, who died in 2022.
The man allegedly claimed thousands of euros in pension payments without reporting her death, instead hiding her body in his home. The fraud came to light earlier this month when he attempted to renew her ID card at the local council office, prompting a suspicious staff member to alert police.
Authorities compared an official photo of the deceased woman with that of her son and later searched his home, where they found her body hidden in the laundry room. Mayor Francesco Aporti described the man shuffling into the council office dressed as 'an old woman', wearing lipstick, nail polish, and a dark brown bob wig.
The man tried to imitate a female voice, but 'occasionally a few masculine notes slipped out', the mayor said. The council staff member noted the man's neck was 'a bit too thick' and his hands did not resemble those of an 85-year-old woman. According to Corriere della Sera, the unemployed nurse had an annual income of €53,000 from his mother's pension and three properties.
This case echoes previous incidents in Italy where bodies of deceased pensioners were concealed by relatives to claim benefits. In 2023, a man in Verona kept his mother's body at home for five years, while another in Puglia hid his father's body for a decade.
