Elmo, Montana – A man from Elmo, Montana, has pleaded guilty to fraud and theft of over $120,000 in Social Security benefits, including funds designated for his deceased mother. Gerry Alen Albus, 64, confessed in a May 2022 interview with Social Security agents that he failed to disclose his assets, which included profits from a dog grooming business.
Albus admitted to not paying rent, living with his partner who was also his landlord, and not revealing his vehicles or income. He acknowledged taking his deceased mother’s Social Security benefits, justifying it by stating he felt entitled to them. Albus now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
Initially approved to receive Social Security income benefits in 2015, Albus claimed to have moved to Elmo in 2016, where he supposedly lived alone and paid rent to a landlord. However, investigations revealed that he did not actually pay rent and that his so-called landlord was his romantic partner.
In 2017, Albus and his partner transformed 20 acres of land into a dog grooming business. After his mother passed away in March of that year, Albus received proceeds from the sale of her house in Florida as a co-owner. But he did not disclose his ownership interest in the property or the profits gained from the sale.
From March 2017 to November 2021, Albus collected his deceased mother’s monthly Social Security payments, totaling $2,000, which he utilized for personal expenses. Among the assets he failed to report were three cars, multiple bank accounts, and the earnings from the dog grooming business.
Albus expressed to agents in 2022 that he was aware that disclosing all his income and assets would have likely reduced or eliminated his Social Security payments. He received nearly $61,000 in benefits he was not entitled to, in addition to approximately $60,000 from his deceased mother’s funds. Albus has been released pending further proceedings, with his sentencing scheduled for September 24.