Buffalo man sentenced for stealing dead woman's workers' compensation benefits

A Buffalo man has been sentenced for stealing more than $3,500 in workers' compensation benefits from a dead woman.

Michael Barton was sentenced Monday to three years probation after pleading guilty to petit larceny. He must also pay $3,529.11 in restitution.

Barton, 58, had previously lived with and cared for the woman. She died in July 2012, but Barton kept cashing her checks through September 2014 as if she were still alive.

New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott, who investigated the case, called the fraud and abuse "morbid."