A Chicago woman kept her mother’s body in a deep freezer in her garage for two years and went on collecting the dead woman’s Social Security, federal prosecutors say. Her case was one of 17 the Justice Department announced on Tuesday, September 29, in a one-month crackdown on people stealing Social Security benefits, with $1.34 million in losses tied to the cases.
Story Snapshot
- The Justice Department announced charges against 17 people in 11 federal districts on Tuesday, September 29.
- The cases add up to about $1.34 million in stolen or targeted Social Security benefits.
- In Chicago, prosecutors say Eva Bratcher hid her mother’s body in a garage freezer for two years while taking her benefits.
- A charge is an accusation; each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Freezer In The Garage
According to the Justice Department, Eva Bratcher “concealed her mother’s body in a deep freezer in her garage for two years.” During that time, prosecutors say, she took on her mother’s identity, collected her mother’s Social Security payments and used her mother’s SNAP benefits. SNAP is the federal food-stamp program. Prosecutors say she also used a second Social Security number to take more food aid. The Social Security money in her case comes to $21,402.
Her mother, Regina Michalski, was 96. The body was found in early 2023 during a welfare check that a granddaughter asked for, and Bratcher was first charged in state court with concealing a death. Now she faces federal charges of theft of government property and misuse of Social Security benefits, which carry up to 10 and 5 years in prison.
DOJ charges 17 with stealing $1.3M in Social Security — including woman who kept dead mother in freezer so she could keep cashing the checks.
“The Social Security Administration’s benefits programs are meant to safeguard America’s elderly and most vulnerable — not to bankroll…
— Naran Row-Spaulding (@NRSmaine) September 29, 2026
What The Justice Department Announced
The Justice Department said its National Fraud Enforcement Division ran the crackdown from August 21 to September 18. The cases focus on Social Security retirement and disability checks and on Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, the monthly payment for low-income people who are elderly, blind or disabled. The 17 defendants were charged in 11 federal districts.
Officials described the kinds of schemes they found: people collecting checks for someone who has died, and people using stolen identities to claim benefits. The department singled out the Illinois freezer case for its extreme facts, but said the sweep is part of a wider push to protect programs paid for by workers and retirees.
Why This Matters For Taxpayers And Retirees
Social Security is paid for by the payroll taxes of working Americans, and millions of retirees depend on it. The agency’s own watchdog has reported billions of dollars in improper payments over the years, mostly overpayments and errors, with a smaller share proven to be fraud. Checks that keep going to people who have died are one of the oldest problems, because they continue until someone reports the death.
Each case in this sweep is small next to the size of the program, but together they show how long money can flow before anyone notices. In the Chicago case, it took two years.
What Comes Next And How To Protect Yourself
Each defendant’s case now moves through federal court. The Justice Department will seek repayment where it can. The Social Security Administration and its inspector general continue to match death records against payments. Families can help by reporting a loved one’s death to Social Security right away, and by guarding their own Social Security numbers.
Sources:
justice.gov, chicagotribune.com, congress.gov, ssa.gov, oig.ssa.gov
