ST. LOUIS — A Florissant woman pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing more than $170,000 in Social Security benefits that continued to be paid after the death of a relative.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, 45-year-old Laneka Holmes’ relative passed away on May 23 of 2017, but the death was never reported to the Social Security Administration like it was supposed to be. That relative’s Social Security benefits continued to be deposited into a bank account that Holmes shared with the relative.
Prosecutors said Holmes withdrew and used the payments from May 2017 through April 2025, illegally receiving a total of $170,574 in government benefits…