SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A San Diego woman has pleaded guilty to concealing her father-in-law’s death in the Philippines for more than six years in order to illegally collect over $175,000 in government and private retirement benefits, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Josephine Guinauli Aquino, 64, admitted in federal court that she intentionally hid the August 2019 death of her father-in-law — a U.S. military veteran — so she could continue receiving his monthly payments from the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and private pension checks from the Nestle Corporation.
Because he died overseas in the Philippines, U.S. agencies were not automatically notified, prosecutors said. Aquino admitted she took advantage of that gap, continuing to access the benefits until October 2025.
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In her plea agreement, Aquino acknowledged forging at least 150 checks from her father-in-law’s U.S. bank account using his checkbook after his death. She also admitted to endorsing and depositing his Nestle pension checks, which continued to arrive at his last U.S. address. Prosecutors say she used his bank card to withdraw the funds for her personal use…