Italian Man Arrested for Dressing as Dead Mother to Claim Pension - Read What Happened Next

The elaborate plot to steal a dead woman's state pension in Northern Italy was undone by two simple details: dark hair and a driverless car.

In the town of Borgo Virgilio, close to Mantua, a 57-year-old unemployed former nurse attempted the audacious: renewing his mother's identity card in person—a requirement under Italian law—nearly three years after her death.

The deceased, Graziella Dall’Oglio, passed away in 2022 at age 82. Her son, whose name has been withheld, allegedly failed to report her death. When the card expired, he donned makeup, a wig, and his mother's clothing, only for a sharp-eyed agent to notice the suspect's dark hair on the back of the neck, hands, and chin.

Mummified Body in the Closet

Suspecting foul play, the agent alerted authorities. The deception quickly unraveled when surveillance footage caught the "elderly woman" driving herself away from the office—despite the real Mrs. Dall’Oglio not having a driver's license.

Police confronted the suspect and then searched Mrs. Dall’Oglio’s home address. They made a gruesome discovery: her mummified body was found in a laundry room closet, wrapped in sleeping bags.

Authorities now accuse the son of attempting to prevent decomposition by removing fluids from his mother's body with a syringe. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause and timeline of her death.

Charges and The Motive

The motive was clear: money. Italy's system is often slow to sync death registries with public services, allowing pension checks to continue for years until a local office is notified. State pension fraud is common in Italy, according to the Guardia di Finanza.

The man now faces severe charges, including:

• Concealing a corpse.

• Fraud against the state.

• Impersonation and forgery of a public document.

The former nurse remains in local jail as prosecutors await the results of the autopsy that will dictate the final direction of the case.