Phoenixville Man Illegally Collected $188K in Benefits, Government Says

A Phoenixville man is in hot water after authorities say he improperly collected $188,000 in retirement benefits after his father-in-law died.

Lawrence Nicoletti, 60, stands charged with theft of government funds.

Nicoletti took $31,765 in Retirement and Survivor’s Insurance benefits and $156,799.70 in Civil Service Retirement System payments that were supposed to stop when his father-in-law—identified only as “HW” in court documents—died in December of 2005, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. The theft occurred over the span of over six years.

Nicoletti's deceased father-in-law earned the benefits during his career as a United States Postal worker.

If convicted, Nicoletti faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment, three years of supervised release a $250,000 fine, restitution of $188,564.70, and a $100 special assessment.