Terri Ann DeNeal, 52, Harrisburg, was found dead in a vehicle parked at the Mt. Juliet, Tenn., Waffle House Sept. 13. At about 5:30 p.m. officers and Wilson EMA professionals determined that the female was deceased, according to the release from the Mt. Juliet Police Department. The preliminary investigation revealed that this was not a criminal incident, and there is no obvious foul play, according to the release.
DeNeal was wanted by the United States Marshals on a federal indictment issued on Sept. 4 for mail fraud. The indictment charges that from Jan. 1, 2005, through May of 2011, DeNeal executed a scheme to defraud Social Security Administration and Department of Veteran Affairs benefit recipients of about $500,000 dollars. The fraud took place while DeNeal was acting as a representative payee and fiduciary for federal aid recipients, who because of physical or mental ailments were unable to handle their own finances, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s for the Southern District of Illinois.
The indictment further charges that DeNeal used the funds of these recipients to pay her own bills and expenses.
The investigation into the mail fraud case was conducted by the Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations for the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The medical examiner has completed the autopsy, and investigators are waiting to receive that report from the medical examiner’s office, according to the release.
Woman facing federal charge found dead in Tennessee
Posted on 9/25/2013, 2:46 PM
