Keller woman sentenced for collecting dead relative’s benefits

A Keller woman has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for collecting more than $120,000 from her dead mother-in-law’s retirement benefits for 13 years, federal officials said.

Jeani Mulligan, 43, received the sentence on Thursday from U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle in a Dallas federal courtroom. Following the hearing, Boyle remanded Mulligan to custody of federal authorities.

Mulligan had pleaded guilty to the charge of theft of government funds in September. She was released at that time, but a violation was reported in November when a urine sample tested positive for methamphetamine, according to federal court records. Federal authorities took no action on that violation.

In addition to federal prison time, Mulligan must pay $124,825 in restitution.

Mulligan had faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Keller woman admitted to federal authorities that she began to receive the retirement benefits of her mother-in-law on December 30, 2000, shortly after her death. She continued to receive the benefits until February 2013.

Authorities began the investigation after receiving a tip.

The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General.

Mulligan had previously served 75 days in jail in 2006 when she was convicted of possession of a controlled substance under one gram out of a case in Arlington, according to Tarrant County criminal court records. The drug was methamphetamine, records showed.

This story was originally published January 16, 2015 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Keller woman sentenced for collecting dead relative’s benefits."