Brian K. Ditch, 45, pleaded guilty Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in federal court to abusing and mistreating his uncle, a disabled veteran, and then hiding his death for years to steal his government benefits. (Dent County Sheriff’s Office)

A Missouri man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to abusing and mistreating his uncle, a disabled veteran, and then hiding his death for years to steal his government benefits.

Brian K. Ditch, 45, pleaded guilty to transferring more than $20,000 of Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefit payments from his uncle’s bank accounts to his own and for possessing a firearm while a felon, according to records from U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone accepted the agreement and scheduled sentencing for Jan. 8.

Since 2008, Ditch was solely responsible for caring for his uncle, Thomas Clubb, in the town of Salem. However, Ditch would lock his uncle in the garage for more than 24 hours at a time, beating him, forcing him to sit in his own waste and denying his access to food or water.

Clubb, a quadriplegic, had served in the Army and received $9,559 each month from the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as benefits from Social Security, according to court records. He is believed to have died in 2019. Ditch told relatives that Clubb had been moved into a nursing home, according to court records.

Over the years, the VA deposited roughly $1.6 million into Clubb’s bank account, according to court records. Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration deposited more than $235,000.

Ditch used the money to buy exotic reptiles, fund lavish vacations and enrich himself, the indictment says. Salem police officers found the uncle’s partially frozen body in a trash can in March, as well as three shotguns, according to court records.