72,000 Dead People Received Stimulus Checks

The Obama administration may have done an excellent job of keeping fraud and abuse out of stimulus spending, but their efforts weren’t perfect: The Social Security Administration’s inspector general said Thursday that $18 million was sent to 72,000 dead people, and an additional $4.3 million went to prison inmates. The checks were sent as $250 payments, and about half have been returned. In total, 52 million Social Security recipients received the $250 checks. An earlier White House report found that complaints of fraud or abuse had been filed on less than 2 percent of stimulus contracts and grants.