Charlton Woman Pleads Guilty to $110,428 Bank Fraud Over Dead Beneficiary's Checks
Updated
Updated · Worcester Telegram · May 12
Charlton Woman Pleads Guilty to $110,428 Bank Fraud Over Dead Beneficiary's Checks
2 articles · Updated · Worcester Telegram · May 12
Gina M. Cummings, 61, admitted in federal court in Worcester to one bank-fraud count after prosecutors said she collected $110,428 tied to a beneficiary who died in August 2019.
Between January 2020 and July 2025, she allegedly failed to report the death to Social Security, a private pension plan and the bank, then used the dead beneficiary's checkbook to access the money.
Prosecutors said Cummings forged the beneficiary's name on 84 checks and regularly drained the account, including Social Security benefits, pension payments and COVID economic impact payments.
Arrested and charged in December 2025, Cummings is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 20 and faces up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
How did one woman forge 84 checks for five years before any system raised an alarm?
This case uncovered $110k in fraud; how much larger is the national cost of these 'ghost' payments?
With new federal task forces, can technology finally stop benefit payments to deceased individuals nationwide?