Italian Man Accused of Dressing Up as His Dead Mother in a Scheme to Collect Her Pension
An unemployed son pretended to be his dead mother to collect thousands of euros each year from her pension. According to local authorities, this bizarre case is now being labeled a real-life “Mrs. Doubtfire scandal.”
This situation went down in Borgo Virgilio near Mantua and centers around a man who clearly took things way too far. And while this story is unbelievable, it’s also heartbreaking, unsettling, and layered. With that said, let’s get into the full breakdown of how this scheme spiraled out of control and stunned a nation.
The “Mrs. Doubtfire” Scheme That Shook Italy
Authorities say the suspect is the son of Graziella Dall’Oglio, an 82-year-old woman who passed away back in 2022. Her son, an unemployed former nurse, apparently decided that instead of reporting her death, he would try something else entirely. Officials say he started collecting her pension every year, amounting to thousands of euros.
When her identity card expired, instead of owning up to the situation, he allegedly transformed himself into a full cosplay version of his mother. We’re talking makeup, a wig, her clothes — the whole look. He then attempted to renew her ID card in person, which is required in Italy.
But here’s where the plot twisted:
The municipal worker handling the renewal felt the energy was off. Something wasn’t adding up. So they alerted the authorities, who then called for “Mrs. Dall’Oglio” to return.
When the son came back, still dressed as his mother, police were already watching. Surveillance cameras reportedly show him walking into the municipal office in full disguise, despite the fact that the real woman didn’t even have a driver’s license.
What happened next took the case to a truly disturbing level.
The Heartbreaking Discovery Inside the Home
After the suspicious encounter at the office, officers went to the home of the elderly woman to confirm what they feared. When they entered, they made a haunting discovery: Graziella’s mummified body was found in a closet, wrapped in sleeping bags.
The detail stunned investigators and the public. It painted a chilling picture of how far the son allegedly went to keep his scheme alive.
Officials say he now faces multiple charges, including:
Concealing a corpse
Defrauding the state
Impersonation
Forgery of a public document
Authorities also accuse him of using a syringe to extract fluids from his mother’s body in an attempt to slow down decomposition. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death, and he remains in custody while prosecutors wait for results.
According to the financial crime police, Italy struggles heavily with pension fraud. Because death registries and public service databases aren’t always aligned, some deaths aren’t reported for months — even years — allowing pension payments to continue until someone steps in.
This case, however, is extreme even for a country familiar with these issues. And it forces a bigger conversation about mental health, poverty, desperation, and a broken system that allows tragedies like this to unfold.