Police: Mom-posing man had coffin in home

NEW YORK, June 18 (UPI) -- A New York man who posed as his dead mother to collect government checks kept a casket in his living room, police said.

Thomas Prusik Parkin, 49, allegedly began posing as his mother -- complete with a wig, cane and heavy makeup -- to collect Social Security and other benefits after her death in 2003. City marshals said they discovered the coffin in his living room when they arrived to evict him and his brother, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

Authorities said they do not know why Parkin, who is accused of collecting more than $1 million in benefits and loans while posing as his mother, Irene Prusik, had the coffin.

"Mark Twain said truth is stranger than fiction, and this is a great example of that," Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said at Parkin's arraignment.

Parkin was charged with 47 counts of grand larceny, forgery and conspiracy. His alleged accomplice, Milton Rimolo, was indicted on the same charges. They each face up to 25 years in jail if convicted.