Illinois man Jonathan Barner sentenced to 15 months for taking $107K in his dead grandmother's Social Security benefits

What happened

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said on 13 November 2026 that Jonathan Frank Barner, 55, of Illinois, was sentenced by a U.S. District Judge to 15 months in federal prison for theft of government money, and the court entered a forfeiture order of $107,175. Barner pleaded guilty on 18 May 2026. According to court documents, from about May 2013 through April 2023 he repeatedly accessed his deceased grandmother's bank account and withdrew Social Security retirement benefits that the Social Security Administration kept depositing because it did not know she had died. Instead of reporting the death, he spent the money on his own expenses until the payments stopped and the account was exhausted in April 2023, taking more than $107,000 in total. The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General investigated.

How the scam works

A charge, an arraignment, a witness's testimony or a prosecutor's accusation is not a finding of guilt. People and companies named in these reports are accused, charged or, where the source says so, convicted or sentenced, and they are presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise. Do not treat a news report or a press release as a substitute for a court judgment. If you think you were affected by the same kind of scheme, keep records and report them to the investigating agency named in the source, or to your local police and your bank.

Source

Source: https://x.com/USAO_MDFL/status/2121270732831572322 (@USAO_MDFL, Nov 13, 2026, 10:55 AM ET); https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/illinois-man-sentenced-prison-stealing-social-security-benefits (USAO MDFL, 13 Nov 2026)