ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — A 57-year-old Volusia County man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison Thursday for stealing $57,296 in Social Security benefits from his father, who has been missing since November of 2014.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, Robert Butzlaff was convicted of four counts of fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device and aggravated identity theft in September, after pocketing his father's Social Security benefits when he went missing.

His father, Melvin Butzlaff, who was 87 at the time and diagnosed with dementia, was reported missing by his daughter in 2014. She told investigators with the Ormond Beach Police Department that she hadn't heard from her father — who was living with Robert Butzlaff at the time — in nine months.

When questioned, police said Robert Butzlaff told them his father was being cared for by a 70-year-old woman only identified as "Beverly A," who took him to Greenville, N.C., in a white Lincoln that August.

When contacted by Spectrum News about the status of the missing person's case involving Melvin Butzlaff — who would now be in his mid-90s — investigators with the Ormond Beach Police Department did not immediately respond.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Melvin Butzlaff's disappearance was never reported to the Social Security Administration, which continued to make his benefit payments. The funds were deposited in an account that was jointly held with Robert Butzlaff, officials said.

At some point, Robert Butzlaf opened a new bank account under the name of his father — who is only identified in court documents as "M.B." — and "obtained and used two debit cards issued in the name of M.B. to withdraw the funds that were being deposited by SSA into the new account," a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Robert Butzlaff then used the funds intended for his father for his own personal use, investigators said.

While not discussing the missing person's case, federal officials said Robert Butzlaff's sentencing should send a message to others who might consider perpetrating the same type of fraud.

“This sentence of 70 months’ imprisonment holds Mr. Butlzaff accountable for intentionally misusing Social Security benefits, intended for his father, for his own personal gain. This is a federal crime, and we will continue to pursue perpetrators of Social Security fraud,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. “I want to thank the Ormond Beach Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Huyler for their efforts in investigating and prosecuting this case.”