Brian K. Ditch, a 44-year-old Missouri man who allegedly abused his veteran uncle for years, was indicted Wednesday on four felony counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. (U.S. Air Force)
A Missouri man spent years abusing his veteran uncle, then kept his death a secret by freezing the body and hiding it in a trash can so he could steal at least $650,000 in disability checks, federal authorities said Friday.
Brian K. Ditch, 44, was indicted Wednesday on four felony counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Justice Department said. Ditch has previously been convicted of burglary and domestic battery, according to federal court records filed in the Eastern District of Missouri.
He was expected to plead not guilty Friday in a St. Louis courtroom, federal officials said. An attorney was not yet listed online for Ditch.
Brian K. Ditch, 44, of Salem, Mo., was indicted May 7, 2025, on federal charges related to abusing his uncle, who was an Army veteran, and then keeping his death a secret for years by hiding his body to steal more than $650,000 in disability checks. (Dent County Sheriff’s Office)
Since 2008, Ditch was solely responsible for caring for his uncle, Thomas Clubb, and they lived 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 him 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. Authorities estimate he died in 2019.
But Ditch kept collecting Clubb’s veteran disability checks for years and told other relatives that Clubb had been moved into a nursing home, according to court records.
Clubb would have turned 67 in 2025. His service records were not immediately available Friday from the Army Human Resources Command.
“To execute his scheme to defraud, the defendant not only assaulted his quadriplegic uncle, but he also physically and emotionally abused his children and significant others,” prosecutors said in a court document requesting Ditch be denied bail.
Ditch used the money to buy exotic reptiles, fund lavish vacations and enrich himself, according to the indictment. 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.
If convicted, Ditch could face at least 15 years in prison.
