FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A Florida woman accused of hiding her dead mother's body and collecting federal benefits for six years has pleaded guilty to a theft charge.
Penelope Jordan pleaded guilty Monday to theft of government property.
The 61-year-old woman was arrested in March after police found her mother's decaying body barricaded in a bedroom in Sebastian, about an hour north of West Palm Beach.
Jordan told officials her mother had actually died in early 2003.
Prosecutors say Jordan was collecting Social Security benefits, as well a military pension from her mother's late husband.
Jordan's plea deal calls for her to pay $237,876 in restitution. Her sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 21.
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