KOMO-TV – Seattle, Washington – News – Man who faked retardation for 20 years pleads guilty to fraud — Exactly what kind of Mom trains her kids to be retarded? Most parents brag about their kids and how smart they are — even if retarded. This women has to be some piece of work.
For nearly 20 years – ever since Pete Costello was 8 – his mother has collected disability benefits on his behalf. In meetings with Social Security officials and psychologists, he appeared mentally retarded and unable to communicate.
According to charging documents, his mother claimed that Pete couldn’t drive or even shower.
But it was all scam.
On Friday, Costello pleaded guilty in federal court to Social Security fraud. The scheme netted him more than $59,000 in benefits since he turned 18.
Costello, now 28, could be sentenced to up to a year in prison, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa.
Beginning shortly before his 8th birthday, Costello began faking retardation – appearing uncommunicative, picking at his face and slouching – in interviews with agency officials and psychologists, all at his mother’s behest,
I think this is retarded. But wait!
People will do anything for money! They both for part of their punishment should have to help mental patients. Truly sad parenting!
It’s terrible if his mother really did force him into that. They should send him to a shrink, not to jail. Messed up parents are not his fault.
There was a segment on “exactly” this thing on the old “Just Shoot Me” TV series called “Slow Donnie” starting the comedian David Cross as “Donnie”.
#3, I was reminded of the same thing.
Pretty stupid to think they could get the better of the Federal Government.
that just shoots down the validity of any government watchdog agency..u pay people to watch out for this sort of thing..well what a waste of your $..@ what point r u going 2 say enough is enough,,i am not that stupid,,stop treating me that way,,,come on,,jeez,,,
does that not open the floodgates of any1 that has been committed 2 a mental institution?
fire all the people that allowed this 2 go on..raise your standards…make people accountable..oops,,,lost my head,,making people accountable is a dream..my bad…no1 is accountable in the U.S…hence another of these silly stories..
#5 – What, exactly, was that rant about? – “had enough” of what? Are you smoking something?
Thats Hilarious.
yes..my bad!!i only post after a few beers or a few hoots cause i know that what i say has absolutely no value or meaning,what i say will not change anything,,,sorry ! but i still fell good doing it..i make as much sense as a lot of other posts i read..
u mean that it’s possible 2 fake retardation 4 20 yrs..well i guess u have that perfected,,,just look 2 your president..or look in the mirror
the point i was trying to make was how did this go on 4 20 yrs without a qualified person catching on to the scam,,,is that not the justification 4 all the agencies they say they screen just 4 that sort of thing…
I have a friend who is a community organizer among immigrants in the US and she says that it’s fairly common for immigrant families to designate one of their children as retarded to tap into certain government programs.
(BTW: she is very sympathetic to immigrants so I don’t dismiss her claim as immigrant-bashing.)
I have to wonder how many of those kids then take that label into adulthood – what a horrible thought!
This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing in the news. I’m guessing it is somewhat common but hard to prove since they’ve been socialized with the genuinely retarded and can perfectly act the role.
It’s even possible that some of those kids-turned-adults actually think they are retarded.
Before you anti-tax, anti government guys get all huffy about this guy, let’s put in in perspective to make sure your outrage is well placed:
This scammer got $59,000 of our dollars in TEN YEARS
In 2003, Halliburton got the same amount of our tax dollars EVERY SEVEN MINUTES
(and much of it with absolutely no record of where it went. )
Feel free to check my math: http://tinyurl.com/344c89
You mean Halliburton has been pretending to be tards too?
u mean that it’s possible 2 fake retardation 4 20 yrs
Do u pst by IM frm a cp?
Mr.Newton, that is some of the most retarded writing I’ve ever seen.
I have a feeling you’re not faking, though.
Mr.Newton, pack up your ‘puter’ and tell your mom to send it back to HP. You’re too retarded to use one.
but…the money the faux’tard got was offset by the money NOT SPENT on his time in a classroom. He can’t read/write, so….think of the money we’ll spend on him (and others) in unemployment and welfare! No one seems to complain about the morons who WENT TO SCHOOL who still can’t function at an 8 year old capacity.
Geez, at least this guy can argue a ticket in court!
#12, no, just their former CEO who now has a government job.
ROFL!!! thats awesome. I wanna give this guy some kudos for doing it for so long. Now he can open an acting school
haha yea that’s what I’m thinking! This guy would be perfect in Hollywood. Problem is after 20 years you have to sort of turn into what you always pretended to be
this guy and mom are a great and briliant money making team . if the goverment is stewpid enough to give it why not take it .it was probaly real easy to do a couple of visits a year to a shrink drewl a little mumble a little pick your nose a little and your rolling in the dough , hmm sounds tempting maybe ill take advantage of some of those tax dollars