Man Admits Scam Using Dead Neighbor's Identity

Jerome Malecki started off as a helpful neighbor on his Harford County, Md., street, doing odd jobs and mowing the lawn for the retiree who lived next door. But when the neighbor died in 2004, Malecki cashed in and stole tens of thousands of dollars from the dead man.

Malecki, 56, admitted in court Wednesday that he participated in a years-long scam to steal about $95,000 in Social Security and pension payments sent to his neighbor, Fred Kessler. All the time, he kept the lawn tidy and carried in the mail so nothing seemed amiss in Kessler's home. Using Kessler's accounts, he even paid the mortgage, taxes and utilities to make it appear that Kessler was alive.

Malecki pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Federal authorities said Kessler, 70, a retired Baltimore County employee, died away from home July 10, 2004. He had no known family or heirs, and his death was never reported to the county or the Social Security Administration.

Before his death, Kessler had given Malecki a key to his home, according to court documents. Soon after he died, Malecki and co-conspirator David Anthony Johnson, 47, of Baltimore began using that key to come and go. Malecki read the mail, paid bills and set the lights on timers so the house would appear lived-in. Eventually, according to court documents, he arranged for someone else to live in Kessler's house.

Harford sheriff's spokeswoman Monica A. Worrell said Kessler went into cardiac arrest at a recreation center and died. Sheriff's investigators tried repeatedly to locate Kessler's family but were unsuccessful. Worrell said his body was to be taken to the Maryland State Anatomy Board, which uses remains for research and education.

Meanwhile, Kessler and Johnson renewed Kessler's old credit cards and set up new ones in his name. By the time the scheme was uncovered in November 2007, authorities said, the pair had racked up about $47,000 in credit card debt.

Malecki's attorney, Brendan Hurson, did not return a call for comment.

Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to aggravated identity theft, federal authorities said.

Staff researcher Alice Crites contributed to this report.