BRODHEADSVILLE, PA – A Pennsylvania man, Timothy Gritman, was sentenced to five years in prison this week for concealing his father’s death and continuing to collect his deceased father’s social security benefits and pension. Gritman, 56, of Brodheadsville, also faced an additional three years of supervised release following his prison sentence, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors revealed that Gritman’s father, Ralph Gritman, was 79 years old and in poor health when he was last seen alive by relatives at his Pennsylvania residence in 2016. Despite this, Gritman moved to Wyoming with his father the summer of 2017. It was revealed that Ralph Gritman’s health benefits were used for a visit to a Wyoming emergency room in September 2017 and were never used again. Investigators believe Ralph Gritman died in or around October 2017, but his son concealed his death from family members and disposed of his body in an unknown manner.
Court documents showed that Ralph Gritman was never reported deceased, and his social security and New York state pension benefits continued to be paid into a joint account with his son from October 2017 to October 2022. Gritman went to great lengths to conceal his fraud, with prosecutors stating that he would physically pose as his father, using makeup to make himself appear older. To this day, the location of Ralph Gritman’s remains remains unknown.
This case sheds light on instances of identity fraud and the lengths to which individuals would go to exploit social security and pension benefits. Gritman’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the consequences of such actions and the importance of transparency and honesty in financial matters. The case is a sobering example of the lengths some individuals might go to for personal gain, ultimately resulting in criminal prosecution and imprisonment.