Probation, no prison for grandma in $120K fraud

DETROIT (AP) -- A judge has decided not to imprison a 67-year-old Detroit woman who stole $120,000 from Social Security to pay for the care of her five grandchildren. A deal in exchange for her guilty plea called for Mary Alice Austin to get no more than 16 months in prison. Defense lawyer Natasha Webster pleaded for leniency, asking for home confinement instead of prison, while prosecutors said there should be at least some incarceration for Austin. Detroit U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts last Friday didn't give Austin any prison time, instead placing her on probation. Court records show that Austin paid someone to pose as her son for 20 years while he was in prison so she could continue receiving his disability benefits. Published: Tue, Apr 5, 2011