A Florida man has been found guilty of four counts of fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device and aggravated identity theft.
Robert Butzlaff, 57, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each of the fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device charges and a consecutive 2-year mandatory minimum on the aggravated identity theft charge.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 7, 2022.
According to evidence presented at trial, Butzlaff’s father, the Social Security beneficiary, was reported missing in October 2014 and has never been located.
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His father’s disappearance was not reported to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and SSA continued to make benefit payments on his behalf.
The father’s SSA benefits were being deposited into an account held jointly with his son, Butzlaff, at the time of his disappearance.
Following the man’s disappearance, Butzlaff opened a new bank account using his father’s personally identifiable information and redirected the SSA benefits to the new account.
The new account was solely in his dad’s name.
Butzlaff obtained, and used, two debit cards issued to his dad to withdraw the funds being deposited by SSA into the new account.
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Butzlaff used the SSA funds intended for father for his own personal expenses.
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