Her mother died nearly 2 years ago. Florida woman is accused of collecting $24,000 in her benefits — and police say there’s more

Youngstown, Florida, native Brandlyn Yonally, 43, was arrested after a fraud investigation allegedly uncovered a scheme in which more than $24,000 in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits meant for her deceased mother continued to be collected.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office detailed a sprawling investigation involving identity theft, financial fraud and drug possession. What started as an investigation into the benefits allegedly being collected after Yonally’s mother died eventually opened the door to a much larger operation involving multiple potential identity theft victims.

The alleged fraud began in August 2024 following the death of Yonally’s mother. Under federal regulations outlined by the Social Security Administration (SSA), SSI benefits are payable only for the month in which a recipient dies. Any payments made afterward are considered federal property and are supposed to be returned.

The conspiracy was much larger

Investigators allege, however, that her mother’s death was deliberately kept from the government, allowing the monthly payments to continue flowing into the account for nearly two years.

According to Wealth of Geeks, by the time the Criminal Investigations Division discovered something was wrong in April 2026, more than $24,000 had allegedly been paid into the account. Investigators followed the money and determined that Yonally allegedly withdrew the funds through local ATMs and transferred money using peer-to-peer payment services such as Cash App.

Then came an even stranger discovery. Detectives found that some of the allegedly stolen government money had been sent to inmate commissary accounts at the Bay County Jail, suggesting that the funds were being passed around to other people.

While the Social Security investigation was unfolding, authorities say Yonally’s alleged activities extended into credit card fraud. On Aug. 11, a Youngstown man contacted the Bay County Sheriff’s Office after discovering a series of unauthorized transactions on his credit card. The purchases reportedly totaled more than $1,000.

Financial crimes detectives began putting together the pieces, comparing transaction records, security footage and digital receipts. The trail eventually led investigators back to Yonally. What they initially thought was an SSI fraud case now appeared to be part of a much larger alleged identity theft operation.

The new complaint gave investigators the probable cause they needed to search Yonally’s home.

On the morning of Aug. 18, 2026, deputies executed a search warrant at her Youngstown home. They were reportedly looking for evidence connected to her late mother’s financial records. Instead, deputies allegedly found a collection of credit cards, debit cards, legal names and Social Security numbers belonging to other people.

The authorities are reaching out to more potential victims

Prosecutors subsequently added one count of criminal use of personal identification information and 10 individual counts of unlawful possession of another person’s personal identification data, covering the information and cards allegedly found during the search.

Yonally now faces charges including criminal use of the personal identification information of a deceased person and third-degree grand theft involving property valued between $20,000 and $100,000. Authorities are still reaching out to people in the community as they work to determine whether there are additional victims connected to the alleged scheme.