Dead Man Tells

WOBURN, Mass. –  A man was charged with cashing his dead friend's disability checks at St. Mary’s CU and selling the dead man’s van, taking about $25,000 in profits.

The credit union contacted police after an investigation revealed that a member had died but his disability checks were still being cashed. Police determined the credit union member supposedly cashing disability checks had died before the most recent checks were brought to the credit union.

Floyd Russell, 51,  told police that he cashed the checks to cover the cost of the man's funeral.

The member died in September 2008. Authorities say that Russell forged and cashed the checks, totaling about $10,000, from October 2008 to May 2009.

Russell also forged a Registry of Motor Vehicles document and sold his friend's van for $15,000, police said.

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