Widower of Philly Officer Accused of Collecting Death Benefits After Remarrying

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The widower of a Philadelphia police officer allegedly fraudulently collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in Pennsylvania workers compensation benefits despite getting remarried.
John Higgin’s late wife, Philadelphia police officer Sharon Higgins, died from a heart attack while on duty in 1987.
Higgins was charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and theft by unlawful taking.

The widower of a Philadelphia police officer is accused of fraudulently collecting death benefits for years despite getting remarried.

After an investigation from the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, John Higgins, 67, was charged with theft by deception, insurance fraud and theft by unlawful taking. Higgins allegedly fraudulently collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in Pennsylvania workers compensation death benefits over nearly two decades.

Higgin’s late wife, Philadelphia police officer Sharon Higgins, died from a heart attack while on duty in 1987. Shortly after, Higgins started collecting survivor benefits from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which he was allowed to do as long as he didn’t remarry.

Higgins remarried in 1990 however and falsely reported himself as not having remarried on dependency benefits forms filed with the state from 2002 through 2018, according to investigators.

“Not only is Mr. Higgins alleged to have defrauded taxpayers, he did so in the name of a former Philadelphia Police officer who tragically died while on duty,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “I want to thank the detectives and prosecutors of the Economic Crimes Unit for their work in uncovering Mr. Higgins’ actions and bringing him to justice.”