Norwalk Woman Pleads Guilty To Stealing Benefits: Feds

NORWALK, CT — A 56-year-old Norwalk woman waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty Tuesday in Bridgeport federal court to one count of theft of government funds, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut John H. Durham announced in a press release.

According to court documents, Sybil F. Butler’s mother, who died in June 2014, received monthly annuity payments following her retirement from the U.S. Postal Service. (To sign up for Norwalk breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"Between June 2014 and October 2016, Butler impersonated her mother in phone calls to the Office of Personnel Management, and also forged her mother’s signature on numerous documents indicating that her mother was alive," Durham said in a release. "As a result, $71,701.13 in federal annuity benefits were deposited into Butler’s and her mother’s joint bank account after her mother’s death."

Butler was arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 3, 2018, Durham said. She is released on a $10,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not yet scheduled.

According to Durham, the charge of theft of government funds carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.