ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis County, Missouri man who financially exploited two elderly women while committing disability fraud to 87 months in prison and ordered him to repay more than $1.1 million.
Gino Rives, 36, of Edmundson, also agreed to return a house to one of the victims and will be ordered to return a total of six vehicles that he obtained from his two elderly victims. Judge Clark fined him $100,000.
Rives pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January to five counts of theft of government funds in the disability fraud case. He pleaded guilty in October in the elder fraud case to one count of access device fraud and one count of fraudulently effecting transactions.
Rives admitted fraudulently receiving payments from the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Supplemental Security Income Program. Rives applied in 2010, claiming to have a mental health disorder. He repeatedly pretended to be incapable of answering basic questions during interviews and evaluations. He falsely claimed to have memory problems and difficulty concentrating, following instructions and completing tasks. He claimed he had never been employed, could not drive, was unable to handle his financial affairs and had no assets.