WASHINGTON, Calif., Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A California man who lives part-time as a baby with a large crib and high chair says he has been cleared of collecting federal disability fraudulently.
Stanley Thornton Jr. told The Washington Times he expects U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who called for the investigation, to apologize.
A Coburn spokesman, John Hart, said the senator still does not understand how someone able to do his own carpentry -- building his crib and high chair -- could be eligible for Supplemental Security Income, the disability program administered by the Social Security Administration.
"Yet, the problem is not with Mr. Thornton, per se, but with the politicians and bureaucrats who have coddled him," Hart said. "Disability fraud effectively steals from those who are truly disabled, while weakening the economy for everyone."
Thornton attracted attention when he appeared on a reality TV show. At the time, he shared a home with Sandra Dias, who was also on SSI and who pretended to be his mother, feeding him and changing his diapers.
Thornton said the investigation clouded the last months of Dias' life. She died in July.
On his Web site, Thornton said a traumatic childhood has left him unable to function as an adult. He did hold a job as a security guard for about 18 months.
