An unemployed son impersonated his dead mother to collect thousands of euros a year from her pension in what Italian authorities have dubbed a “Mrs. Doubtfire scandal,” according to local reports.
The 56-year-old man, who was not identified, carried out the ruse after his mom died three years ago as he concealed her mummified corpse at their family home, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.
The con artist’s mother, Graziella Dall’Oglio, passed away at 82 years old and her son never reported her death.
He instead stuffed her corpse in a sleeping bag and stashed it in the laundry room at their home, the outlet reported.
By the time authorities found Dall’Oglio, her body had mummified, according to the reports.
All the while, her son meticulously impersonated each detail of his mother down to her makeup and continued to cash her pension. He was even able to renew her identity card at a government office on the outskirts of Mantua after her death, the outlet reported.
With his mother’s pension and a property portfolio of three houses, the son was able to pocket roughly $61,000 annually, according to the newspaper.
Authorities said he underwent a “Mrs. Doubtfire-style transformation,” in reference to the 1993 flick in which Robin Williams plays a recently divorced comedian who opts to pose as the perfect housekeeper in order to see his children while trying to ward off his ex’s new beau.
But an eagle-eyed government employee finally picked up on his scheme after noticing his apparently “masculine” features, including his low voice and “thick” neck, the outlet reported.
The employee notified authorities, who compared photos of Dall’Oglio and her son and realized he’d been conning them.
The son allowed authorities to search his home, where they uncovered Dall’Oglio’s body, though officials didn’t suspect any foul play contributed to her death.
“She probably died of natural causes but that will be established by the postmortem. It is a very strange story and very, very sad,” Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told the newspaper.
An official autopsy has not concluded yet, according to the outlet.
The son is being investigated for illegally concealing a body and benefit fraud. It’s not immediately clear if he was arrested.
By CAITLIN McCORMACK/New York Post
