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Mother said Josh Powell threatened her
TACOMA, Wash., May 18 (UPI) -- A Washington state woman is going to prison for forcing two of her children to pretend to be mentally retarded so she could collect Social Security benefits.
Rosie M. Costello, 46, was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for taking more than $280,000 in state and federal benefits over a 20-year-period on behalf of son, Pete, and daughter, Marie, The Columbian, a Clark County, Wash., reported.
Costello was accused of forcing the pair to feign mental retardation for doctors and Social Security administrators from the time her son was 8 and her daughter was 4.
Pete Costello has been sentenced to 13 months in prison and ordered to repay $59,226 in benefits he received after becoming an adult.
Authorities said they have not been able to locate the daughter, The Columbian said.
A second son, Paul, 20, who cannot read or write, is in jail for using a stolen Social Security number and false name to purchase a car.
Authorities told the newspaper none of the Costello children attended school.
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