Mom ‘slowly killed’ son, stole his benefits for fast food, Victoria’s Secret, feds say
A woman neglected her son with cerebral palsy and spent his disability benefits — which were solely meant for his care — on herself before and after he died, according to federal prosecutors.
Lisa Waldron, 44, of Palermo, New York, used her son’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits issued by the Social Security Administration to splurge at Victoria’s Secret and at Rent-A-Center as he deteriorated under her care, according to court documents. She received, and misused, his benefits as his representative payee, prosecutors said.
After 17-year-old Jordan Brooks died on May 9, 2021, she never notified the SSA of his death, stole his benefits and used them to buy fast food and a trip to Myrtle Beach, according to prosecutors in the Northern District of New York.
Waldron continued stealing his benefits for about one year, up until April 2022, when theft was discovered, prosecutors said.
“The defendant slowly killed her own son and then profited from his death,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.
In February 2022, Brooks’ death was ruled a homicide “caused in part by infection and malnutrition” after he died at a hospital “severely underweight” and covered in bedsores, according to the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office in New York, McClatchy News previously reported.
Waldron and Brooks’ stepdad, Anthony Waldron, were arrested on state charges, including second-degree manslaughter and first-degree criminally negligent homicide, in March 2022, officials said.
On Sept. 19, a federal judge sentenced Lisa Waldron to serve two years in prison after her conviction on charges of theft of government property in connection with stealing Brooks’ benefits, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced in a news release.
“For years, Jordan was severely neglected by the person he relied on and likely loved most in this world,” prosecutors wrote in Waldron’s sentencing memorandum.
“In the months following Jordan’s death, many who knew him mourned, but (Waldron) was not one of them. Instead, (she) continued to spend Jordan’s SSI benefits for her own personal benefit.”
McClatchy News contacted attorney Joseph G. Rodak, who represented Waldron in the federal case, for comment on Sept. 20 and didn’t immediately receive a response.
In a sentencing memo submitted on Waldron’s behalf, Rodak wrote Waldron has one living child, a daughter who “she cares for greatly and is extremely remorseful as to how this entire situation has adversely affected (her).”
Rodak also wrote he believes Waldron “deeply” cared for Brooks but was “overwhelmed in her ability to care for (him).”
On July 17, Waldron pleaded guilty in state court to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault in connection with her son’s death, prosecutors noted in their sentencing memo.
She is facing a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison for the assault charge at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Sept. 28, the sentencing memo says.
Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes ruled Waldron’s sentence would run consecutively to her “anticipated state sentence,” the release said.
Sannes also ordered Waldron to pay $5,948.06 in restitution to the SSA and $7,344.70 to the Crime Victims Fund, according to the release.
“The death of Jordan Brooks was not a freak accident or a tragic isolated incident but rather a deliberate and prolonged act of true malice,” prosecutors wrote in the sentencing memo.
Palermo, a town of about 3,500, is located about 160 miles northwest of Albany.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Mom ‘slowly killed’ son, stole his benefits for fast food, Victoria’s Secret, feds say."
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