Jacksonville Man Accused Of Burying His Dead Mother In Her Yard And Then Stealing Her Social Security And Pension Benefits

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return of an indictment charging Brian Lee Adams (56, Jacksonville) with one count of bank fraud, one count of theft of government property, and four counts of aggravated identity theft.  If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison for the bank fraud count, up to 10 years for the theft of government property count, to be followed by two years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft counts. The indictment also notifies Adams that the United States is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $35,345.36, the proceeds from the alleged activity.

According to the indictment, Adams’s mother, whose initials are J.Y.A., died in an unknown manner at some time prior to July 4, 2014.  Adams buried her in the yard of her Green Cove Springs residence to conceal the event, cause, and circumstances of her death.  Adams then stole his deceased mother’s pension funds and Social Security benefits until June 2015, when authorities discovered what he had done with her body.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless,  and until, proven guilty.     

This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General; the United States Secret Service; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mac D. Heavener, III.