MANTUA, ITALY, November 27, 2025: A 56-year-old unemployed former nurse has been caught after spending nearly three years dressed as his deceased mother, Graziella Dall'Oglio to collect her pension and keep control of her property portfolio of three houses. The shocking scheme earned him around $61,000 every year and has been nicknamed the "Mrs. Doubtfire scandal" by Italian authorities.
The reference comes from the 1993 film starring Robin Williams, in which the main character disguises himself as an elderly nanny. The term has since been used to describe elaborate identity-based disguises.
The fraud came to light when a sharp-eyed government worker noticed something wasn't quite right during a simple identity card renewal for 82-year-old Graziella Dall'Oglio, who had actually died nearly three years ago.
The son showed up at a registry office near Mantua wearing his best disguise: a 1970s blouse, pearl necklace, lipstick, nail polish, old-fashioned earrings, and a long skirt. But his costume wasn't quite convincing enough.
"But that neck, upon closer inspection, was a bit too thick, and even the wrinkles were strange; the skin on his hands didn't look like the 85-year-old he claimed to be," explained Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. "And his voice, feminine yes, but occasionally a few masculine notes escaped."
The suspicious employee noticed his deep voice and thick neck and reported him to authorities. Police compared old photos of the real Graziella with her son and quickly realized they'd been fooled.
Authorities came up with a clever plan to catch him. They called and asked "Graziella" to come back to the office to complete the identification process. When he arrived in his mother's clothes, police took him straight to the station. He confessed to his scheme.
When police searched his home, they found his mother's mummified body hidden in the laundry room, wrapped in bedsheets and stuffed inside a sleeping bag. According to Corriere della Sera, the body had been there for the entire three years.
"She probably died of natural causes but that will be established by the postmortem. It is a very strange story and very, very sad," Mayor Aporti told the newspaper.
A post-mortem examination will confirm exactly how Graziella died.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities determine the full extent of the financial fraud and the offense of illegally concealing a body. An official autopsy report has not yet been concluded, the outlet reported.
(Rh/VK)
