OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (CBS12) — On January 28, 2025, a Kansas couple was sentenced to prison for illegally taking proceeds from a relative’s Social Security and retirement benefits after his death. Lynn Ritter, 62, and Kirk Ritter, 62, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and theft of government funds. Lynn Ritter was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, while Kirk Ritter received a seven-month sentence.
The Ritters had been living with Lynn’s father, Mike Carroll, in their Overland Park home, where Lynn served as his father’s caretaker. However, on October 23, 2022, when Kirk Ritter contacted the police to report his father-in-law’s death, authorities discovered his body in a mummified state. It was determined that Carroll had actually died on or around July 1, 2016.
Despite his death, Carroll’s Social Security and pension payments continued to be deposited into his bank account. From July 2016 through the date the death was reported, the Ritters unlawfully took $68,637 in pension payments and $147,429 in Social Security payments. They wrote unauthorized checks and made transfers for their personal use, all without reporting Carroll’s death.
The couple repaid the stolen funds during their prosecution.
Mark Underwood, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration’s Kansas City Regional Office, emphasized, “These sentencings show the Labor Department is committed to ensuring that justice is served for those who steal from retirement plans.”
