Mom tells kids to fake retardation

[YellowS4]

TACOMA, Wash. - A woman admitted Monday that she coached her two children to fake retardation starting when they were 4 and 8 years old so she could collect Social Security benefits on their behalf.

Rosie Costello, 46, admitted in U.S. District Court that she collected more than $280,000 in benefits, beginning in the mid-1980s. Most was from Social Security, but the state social services agency paid $53,000.

Costello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government and Social Security fraud. Her son, Pete, 26, pleaded guilty earlier this month. Federal prosecutors in Seattle said Monday authorities had not yet located her daughter, Marie.

According to the plea agreement, Costello began coaching her daughter at age 4, and later used the same ruse with her son. He feigned retardation into his mid-20s — picking at his face, slouching and appearing uncommunicative in meetings with Social Security officials.

Social Security workers became suspicious and uncovered a video of Pete Costello ably contesting a traffic ticket in a Vancouver courtroom.

Pete Costello is scheduled to be sentenced May 11 and faces from six months to a year in prison, as well as $59,000 in restitution.

Rosie Costello is scheduled for sentencing May 17. Her standard sentencing range was not immediately available, but in the plea agreement she agreed to repay the government.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17360272/

:confused:

[SiLLiEMutAfuKA]

Since they learn from such a young age, I wonder if they can change back to 'normal'.

What a special case.

[xero15]

thats stupid. mother should be slapped.

[Shade]

lol at this

[TheSix]

...timmy!

[CoMpOuNd]

sounds like something my mom would do.... :sweat:

word.

[Mixah]

....................................... i hate people.

[Oni_Ryu]

Since they learn from such a young age, I wonder if they can change back to 'normal'.



:rofl:

Let them keep the money. You'd have to actually be retarded to pull this kind of shit.

[Mogri]

Since they learn from such a young age, I wonder if they can change back to 'normal'.

What a special case.

Since that boy was talking normally in the Vancouver courtroom, I think she taught them to do that just when social security agents were around. So they can turn their retardation on and off like activating genei-jin.

[ChibiT89]

genei-timmy!!?!??!

[Hoonyo]

i love the vw commercials. they are very funny.

this article is interesting. i'd like to read more about it. how did the social workers "become" suspicious? were they like "hey i wonder if that retard was actually retarded?" maybe i'm reading it wrong, and they became suspicious AFTER they uncovered the video.

[N-Ken]

Im not surprised that this occured in tacoma

[Shade]

Yall acting like playing "retarded" is hard or something. Just do random shit, like pick your nose and zone out in line at the grociery store or something.

[frostfeuer]

This is just a tard fest... those social workers need to be fired if they can be duped so easily. Otherwise, that mom should have been an acting coach if she can teach her kids how to act retarded - remember that it's easier to be retarded (as in stupid fucktard) than look retarded (born with one less chromosome, etc.). General wastes of people all around.

[Dem-Dem]

I didn't know I could get paid for acting retarded I just do it for fun!!!

[3b1r4h]

there was this retarded kid in my lunch that used to come and dance at our table for change. the teachers all got pretty mad at us because they thought we paid him to do it, but in fact he was doing it for charity. he also used to insult everyone with vulgarity and play up his retardation.

That has nothing to do with this thread.

[Lick Me Off]

I wonder if the mother still sent the children to school. That would be fucked up if she ruined her children's education so that they could act retarded. That shit would make you retarded for real.

[Lick Me Off]

there was this retarded kid in my lunch that used to come and dance at our table for change. the teachers all got pretty mad at us because they thought we paid him to do it, but in fact he was doing it for charity. he also used to insult everyone with vulgarity and play up his retardation.

That has nothing to do with this thread.


Yea, there was this retarded guy that worked with my friend at Kroger. She told us he'd call this one short guy "Frodo" all the time. He would also call this asian guy "Jackie Chan".

My friend ended up dating the short guy and we call him Frodo.:rofl:

[Septimus Prime]

Why isn't the daughter being charged?

[thurst]

it sounds like the son has a pretty good chance of getting off, i mean when you're a kid you can't really disobey your mom that young

[white shadow]

it sounds like the son has a pretty good chance of getting off, i mean when you're a kid you can't really disobey your mom that young

But when you're in your twenties it's a different ballgame.

I'm suprised they kept at it for so long successfully.

[Chachi]

Maybe the kids just wanted to go to Hawaii. Yay.

[arcticninja]

Special Olympics is serious business.

[Phoenix Wright]

This is something that's very common in NYC. The parents want the SSI checks so they tell their kids to act crazy during the qualification process. It's sad.

[PcLanAdmin2]

I knew this one guy growing up that weighed like 250 pounds when we were around 12 years old. He told me his mom force-fed his ass to get that plump so she could collect some kind of disability insurance for an eating disease he didn't have.

Eh.

[phoenixnl]

Damn, this is just retarded.

[PsychoMistress]

Pathetic. But it's nothing new around here. Folks will do anything to get those checks.

[AKUMA2000]

lol at this

Yea it is funny as hell, but what's funnier is that by the time she pays off that 280 grand everybody will have starship enterprises for transportation. :rofl: :rofl: