Prosecutors in Kansas have charged a couple with fraud after they continued collecting retirement benefits of a relative&nbsp;for six years after his death, all the while keeping his body hidden inside their home, said local media. The Kansas City Star has reported that Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter collected more than USD 215,000 in retirement benefits of Lynn's father Mike Carroll.

News reports say that Carroll had died in 2016 when he was 81. But the couple did not report the death nor did they&nbsp;bury&nbsp;his body until 2022, when Kirk Ritter called the police to report his death.

According to the prosecutors, the couple, both aged 61, continued to use the money from Carroll's bank account. A report by NBC News said Carroll's body became 'mummified' on a bed inside the house he himself owned.

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In order to hide Carroll's death from family members, Ritters spun elaborate web of lies and constantly gave excuses when they wanted to talk to him on phone. They led the relatives to believe that Carroll was alive.

The Kansas Star reported that when police came to know about Carroll's dead body, they initially investigated the case as that of a suspicious death. But medical examiner from the county later concluded that Carroll died of natural causes.

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The Ritters now face one count of wire fraud and two counts of theft of government funds. Both of them will have to appear in court on February 2.

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NBC cited court documents to say that the couple did not have a lawyer at the time they were charged. Prosecutors have alleged that Lynn and Kirk Ritter hid Carroll's death for "their own personal benefit".

"We were denied contact with him," Carroll's niece Jean told The Kansa Star "And now we know why."

(With inputs from agencies)

Prosecutors in Kansas have charged a couple with fraud after they continued collecting retirement benefits of a relative for six years after his death, all the while keeping his body hidden inside their home, said local media.

Prosecutors in Kansas have charged a couple with fraud after they continued collecting retirement benefits of a relative for six years after his death, all the while keeping his body hidden inside their home, said local media. The Kansas City Star has reported that Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter collected more than USD 215,000 in retirement benefits of Lynn's father Mike Carroll. News reports say that Carroll had died in 2016 when he was 81. But the couple did not report the death nor did they bury his body until 2022, when Kirk Ritter called the police to report his death. According to the prosecutors, the couple, both aged 61, continued to use the money from Carroll's bank account. A report by NBC News said Carroll's body became 'mummified' on a bed inside the house he himself owned. Also Read | US Elections 2024: Nikki Haley questions Trump's mental fitness × In order to hide Carroll's death from family members, Ritters spun elaborate web of lies and constantly gave excuses when they wanted to talk to him on phone. They led the relatives to believe that Carroll was alive. The Kansas Star reported that when police came to know about Carroll's dead body, they initially investigated the case as that of a suspicious death. But medical examiner from the county later concluded that Carroll died of natural causes. Also Read | Donald Trump Vs Michelle Obama in 2024 US elections? Reports say former first lady could replace Joe Biden The Ritters now face one count of wire fraud and two counts of theft of government funds. Both of them will have to appear in court on February 2. Also Read | Double-digit lead for Trump over Haley in New Hampshire, CNN poll says NBC cited court documents to say that the couple did not have a lawyer at the time they were charged. Prosecutors have alleged that Lynn and Kirk Ritter hid Carroll's death for "their own personal benefit". "We were denied contact with him," Carroll's niece Jean told The Kansa Star "And now we know why." (With inputs from agencies)

US: Kansas couple cashed relative’s retirement benefits by hiding his dead body for six years

Hundreds of thousands of people protested yesterday against Chile&#39;s privatised pension system, a legacy of late dictator Augusto Pinochet that opponents say is leaving many retirees destitute. 
 
Launched in 1981, Chile&#39;s &quot;pension fund administrators&quot; have been held up by pro-market politicians and pundits worldwide as a model of how to privatise a national pension system. But opponents say the system has left the 10 million Chileans enrolled in it with extremely low retirement benefits - far short of the Pinochet regime&#39;s original promise of 70 per cent of workers&#39; last paychecks, they maintain. 
 
Waving Chilean flags and banners calling for reform, a sea of demonstrators swarmed Alameda Avenue in central Santiago, in one of the largest marches of recent years in Chile - a country that has seen a succession of major protests calling for education and labor reforms. 
 
Organisers put the turnout in the capital at 500,000 to 600,000 people. Smaller protests were held in other cities around the South American country. 
 
Facing pressure to overhaul the system, President Michelle Bachelet announced a package of 12 planned reforms two weeks ago. They include a universal minimum pension, cuts to fund administrators&#39; commissions and a requirement for employers to contribute to the system for the first time, taking the total contribution from 10 to 15 percent. 
 
The average pension is currently around $400 a month, less than the minimum wage. The private administrators manage about $170 billion. Any losses on investment are borne by the contributors. 
 
Pinochet&#39;s dictatorship, which lasted from his 1973 military coup until 1990, remains heavy baggage for Chile. 
 
Despite the atrocities committed by his regime, which killed an estimated 3,200 people and tortured 38,000, Chile&#39;s constitution and much of its policy framework still date to his rule. 
 
Chile&#39;s first female president, Bachelet won a second term in 2013 promising deep reforms. But the center-left leader&#39;s popularity has since tumbled to 15 per cent amid a corruption scandal involving her son, and it is unclear whether she still has the political capital to deliver on her reform agenda. 
 
(AFP)

Chile's pension fund system has left the 10 million Chileans enrolled in it with extremely low retirement benefits, opponents say

Hundreds of thousands of people protested yesterday against Chile's privatised pension system, a legacy of late dictator Augusto Pinochet that opponents say is leaving many retirees destitute. Launched in 1981, Chile's "pension fund administrators" have been held up by pro-market politicians and pundits worldwide as a model of how to privatise a national pension system. But opponents say the system has left the 10 million Chileans enrolled in it with extremely low retirement benefits - far short of the Pinochet regime's original promise of 70 per cent of workers' last paychecks, they maintain. Waving Chilean flags and banners calling for reform, a sea of demonstrators swarmed Alameda Avenue in central Santiago, in one of the largest marches of recent years in Chile - a country that has seen a succession of major protests calling for education and labor reforms. Organisers put the turnout in the capital at 500,000 to 600,000 people. Smaller protests were held in other cities around the South American country. Facing pressure to overhaul the system, President Michelle Bachelet announced a package of 12 planned reforms two weeks ago. They include a universal minimum pension, cuts to fund administrators' commissions and a requirement for employers to contribute to the system for the first time, taking the total contribution from 10 to 15 percent. The average pension is currently around $400 a month, less than the minimum wage. The private administrators manage about $170 billion. Any losses on investment are borne by the contributors. Pinochet's dictatorship, which lasted from his 1973 military coup until 1990, remains heavy baggage for Chile. Despite the atrocities committed by his regime, which killed an estimated 3,200 people and tortured 38,000, Chile's constitution and much of its policy framework still date to his rule. Chile's first female president, Bachelet won a second term in 2013 promising deep reforms. But the center-left leader's popularity has since tumbled to 15 per cent amid a corruption scandal involving her son, and it is unclear whether she still has the political capital to deliver on her reform agenda. (AFP)

Mass march against Chile's private pension system

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