ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County woman appeared in federal court on Thursday and admitted to helping her son fake a mental disability for more than 13 years so he could claim and receive government benefits.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Zella Rives, 57, submitted a report to the Social Security Administration in 2010 on behalf of her son, Gino Rives, who was claiming disability.
Zella Rives was approved as the payee for her son’s fraudulent claims because the SSA believed Gino would be incapable of managing his money. Between May 2010 and December 2023, the SSA gave Zella Rives more than $91,000 in benefits on her son’s behalf.
Zella Rives again lied to federal authorities in 2019 by confirming her son’s eligibility for disability.
Rives pleaded guilty to four counts of theft of government funds and one count of making a false statement. She’ll be sentenced on June 18.
Making a false statement is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The theft of government funds is punishable with a 10-year sentence and a $250,000 fine.
Her son, Gino, 36, pleaded guilty in two separate cases, admitting his role in the disability fraud case and also financially exploiting two elderly women.
