A San Diego woman has pleaded guilty to concealing the death of her father-in-law — a U.S. military veteran — for more than six years in order to illegally receive 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 in the Philippines so she could continue collecting his monthly payments from the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and pension checks from the Nestle Corporation.
Because the death occurred overseas, U.S. government agencies were not automatically notified, which prosecutors say Aquino exploited. She continued receiving benefits until October 2025…