Charles Hynes, the Brooklyn District Attorney, told CNN that he had never encountered a similar case in terms of creativity, "this case should be ranked first in terms of creativity." If convicted, Palk and Limolo could face up to 25 years in prison.
In the surveillance footage, the "elderly woman" (left) is actually a 49-year-old man. The current 49-year-old Thomas Plusk-Palk altered his deceased mother Irene Prusik's death certificate six years ago, changing her social security number and date of birth. Disguised as a woman, he impersonated his 73-year-old mother to continue receiving benefits and defrauded the government of rental assistance, totaling over $110,000. Limolo acted as Prusik's nephew during this time and assisted Palk in the fraud.
Palk and Limolo were caught on April 29 this year at a vehicle management office in Brooklyn where they were attempting to update Prusik's driver's license. Surveillance footage showed Palk wearing a blonde wig, a red coat, sunglasses, and a scarf while signing documents. Michael Vecchione, who participated in the investigation, said that Palk's disguise was convincing enough that he even used the scarf to hide his Adam's apple, making it hard for the average person to detect any issues. However, there were things Palk couldn't hide: "His hands were very large." When arrested, Palk defended himself by saying, "I held my mother's hand until she took her last breath, so I am my mother."
Disguised to meet law enforcement
On July 17, Charles Hynes, the Brooklyn District Attorney, stated that the suspects Thomas Palk and his accomplice Milton Limolo faced 47 charges, including grand larceny and impersonation to commit crimes. Both pleaded guilty on the same day.
Palk exposed a flaw in a real estate dispute last year, leading to an investigation by law enforcement. After discovering the falsified death certificate, investigators requested an interview with "Prusik." Surprisingly, "she" agreed. Dressed in a red sweater, with lipstick and an oxygen mask, accompanied by her "nephew," she met with the investigators. Authorities believed that Palk claimed his mother was severely ill and unable to communicate, hence using the oxygen mask as an excuse.
According to Xinhua News Agency, a man from New York City disguised himself as his deceased mother to defraud social security benefits for six years and even dared to impersonate her during an interview with investigators.