Clay County Man Who Buried His Mother In Her Yard Pleads Guilty To Stealing Government Property And Aggravated Identity Theft

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Brian Lee Adams (56, Green Cove Springs) today pleaded guilty to theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison, including a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Adams admitted to authorities that his mother had died of natural causes in July 2014 and, instead of notifying anyone, Adams buried her in the backyard of her home. Adams confessed to investigators that he had buried his mother after she died in order to continue collecting both her Social Security payments and a pension payment that she received monthly. As part of the theft, Adams used his mother’s name on checks that he would write to transfer money between her accounts. He would then use the funds on himself. The total amount Adams stole was $35,345.

This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, and the United States Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III.