Social Security’s inspector general says two Pierre, South Dakota residents, Beth Miley and Jason Miley, face a December 15 federal trial in a case over a dead man’s disability payments. Prosecutors allege Beth Miley hid her husband’s February 5, 2023, death so his monthly Social Security Disability Insurance payments kept coming. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The case raises a plain question for families: what happens to a benefit payment after a death. Social Security says a funeral home usually notifies the agency. Anyone not using a funeral home, or whose loved one’s death was not reported, is told to call 1-800-772-1213.
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What prosecutors allege in Pierre
The inspector general’s October 21 release says Beth Miley, 51, who also goes by Beth French, faces five counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, theft of government funds and Social Security fraud.
Jason Miley, 54, who also goes by Jake Miley, faces three counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud. The release does not list theft or Social Security fraud counts against him.
The core allegation is concealment. Prosecutors say Beth Miley kept the February 5, 2023, death of her husband, a Disability Insurance beneficiary, from Social Security so she could keep collecting his payments. Between January 2024 and May 2026, the release says, the two allegedly conspired to withdraw the monthly payments from a bank account neither of them held or owned.
The release states no total dollar figure for the alleged losses. A federal grand jury returned the indictment in October 2026. Both defendants appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on October 15, pleaded not guilty and were released on bond pending trial.
The inspector general’s release reproduces an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota, so the case is a federal prosecution. It names the benefit at issue as Disability Insurance, the Title II program, and says the beneficiary was Beth Miley’s husband.
The penalties on the table and who is prosecuting
If convicted, the release lists a maximum of up to 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, along with three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The release is explicit about where the case stands: “The charges are merely accusations and Beth Miley and Jason Miley are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.” The December 15 trial is the next scheduled step.
The Social Security inspector general’s Cooperative Disability Investigation Unit investigated, and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson is prosecuting. U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said, “Think twice before stealing from the government.” Jacques Hansen, the inspector general’s acting special agent in charge of the Western CDI Division, said his office will keep investigating people who defraud Social Security programs.
What families are told to do after a death
On reporting a death, Social Security’s guidance for families is direct: funeral homes usually notify the agency, so most families do not have to. If no funeral home is involved or the death is not reported, the caller gives the person’s name, Social Security number, date of birth and date of death.
The toll-free line is 1-800-772-1213, with a TTY number at 1-800-325-0778, and the agency staffs it in English, Spanish and other languages on weekdays. Questions about payments received after a death, or about returning them, are directed to that same line.
Money can follow a death, too. A surviving spouse may receive a one-time payment of $255, and if there is no spouse some children may be eligible. Certain family members may also qualify for monthly survivor benefits. Social Security’s survivors page calls those payments monthly benefits to eligible family members, who must report changes in work, income and personal information after approval.
Families abroad have a separate route. For a death outside the United States, Social Security says to contact a Federal Benefits Unit or call the International Call Center at 1-855-522-6936, and a U.S. citizen’s death should also be reported to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
Reporting suspected benefit fraud
The inspector general’s office takes reports of suspected fraud through its online Report Fraud form. It lists examples such as giving false or misleading information to start or continue benefits and hiding eligibility factors, including living arrangements. Its examples also include misuse or fraud by a representative payee. Providing information is voluntary, though leaving out details can limit a full investigation, and a reporter can ask that the report stay confidential or anonymous. A separate form handles scams that pretend to be from Social Security.
For the Pierre case, the open items are the trial on December 15 and the size of the money involved, which the release does not state. Until a jury rules, Beth and Jason Miley are presumed innocent, and the allegations remain only that.
What does a family do with a payment that arrives after a death?
A deposit that lands in the weeks after a death raises a question families rarely can answer in the first week: whether it is theirs to spend. A wrong guess can leave a surviving spouse sorting out Social Security’s questions while still grieving.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit has a first-week checklist for when a spouse dies, including not spending the payment for the month of death. It also holds the 2026 payment calendar and Part 7, Taxes, Spouses and Survivors, so the dates sit on one page.
Get the first-week checklist for Social Security payments after a death →
More Financial Reading
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- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 17 Medicare Money Moves Now That Part D Caps at $2,400
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
