Woman accused of stealing social security benefits of woman found buried under Philly basement

A Philadelphia woman is accused of stealing social security disability benefits from a woman who officials said was found murdered and buried under six to eight feet of concrete in the basement of a home.

United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Holly Sadowski, 37, was arrested and charged with Social Security fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft after concealing the death of a woman to steal her Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits totaling approximately $99,447.90.

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Officials said the indictment alleges that the deceased woman’s remains were found buried beneath six to eight feet of concrete in the basement of a Philadelphia rowhome which she had resided.

The deceased woman -- who officials refer to as E.W. -- had last been seen alive back in December of 2012. Officials said during her lifetime, she received Disability Insurance Benefits from the SSA, due to an intellectual disorder.

DNA analysis of the human remains recovered from the concrete basement was how investigators determined the remains were of E.W.

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Officials said the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office and a forensic anthropologist concluded that the cause of death for E.W. was blunt trauma to the head and neck and the manner of death was homicide. It is estimated that the woman died at least four years and up to ten years prior to the recovery of her remains.

Sadowski was indicted for accessing the deceased woman’s bank account and stealing her Social Security benefits for her personal use, according to officials. Sadowski is charged with utilizing the deceased’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number to continue to access her bank account containing the Social Security benefit funds.

Officials said if convicted, Sadowski faces a maximum possible sentence of 107 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $1,750,000 fine, and a $700 special assessment.