Accused of burying her dead mother's body in her Florida backyard to collect more than $100,000 in Social Security benefits, Patricia Hodges pleaded guilty Wednesday.
Hodges, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money.
A Social Security Administration official says Hodges was interviewed at her Marietta home in November 2011. That's when she claimed her mother was on a cruise and planned to live with a niece in New York upon return.
The Marietta Police discovered that Hodges' mother died in 1997 and Hodges buried her mother in the back yard of a house in Florida. Agents say Hodges admitted that she concealed her mother's death, collecting $141,962 in benefits over a period of 14 years.
She could spend up to 10 years in prison and pay up to a $250,000 fine. Hodges could also be required to pay restitution.
She's free on bond, awaiting sentencing.
