Former FAA Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Deceased Mother’s Benefits

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Blue Springs, Mo., man pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud for stealing his mother's Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits since 2019.

Afshin Setoodeh, 62, became the representative payee for his mother's SSDI benefits in 2018. In this role, Setoodeh was responsible for appropriately using these benefits for the care of his mother. After she returned to her home country of Iran in 2019, Setoodeh did not notify the Social Security Administration (SSA) that she had left the country as required, nor did he notify SSA when his mother passed away in 2022. Even after her death, Setoodeh continued to assert to SSA that his mother was alive and that he was spending the benefits appropriately. Setoodeh withdrew the benefits from his mother's checking account which totaled approximately $55,000 from 2019 through 2024. Setoodeh also used his mother's identity to open several credit cards both prior to and after her death.

Setoodeh committed this crime while employed as a civil engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Kansas City.

Under federal statutes, Setoodeh is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda K. Hanson. It was investigated by the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General.