Fort Lauderdale woman pleads guilty to stealing $328K in WV pension money

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A South Florida pistillate faces up to a decennary successful national situation aft authorities said she stole much than $300,000 of her precocious father’s West Virginia authorities pension benefits.

Prosecutors said Semiha Nilgun Gencsoy, 71, of Fort Lauderdale, pleaded blameworthy to a complaint of merchantability oregon receipt of stolen goods Tuesday successful Charleston, West Virginia national court.

According to a quality merchandise from the U.S. Department of Justice, Gencsoy’s begetter was a mechanical engineering prof astatine West Virginia University who retired successful 1985. Her parent began receiving his pension benefits erstwhile helium died successful June 2007; she died little than a twelvemonth later.

Authorities said Gencsoy failed to notify the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board of her mother’s decease and the pension benefits kept rolling successful to the associated slope relationship she shared with her mother.

Prosecutors said from 2008 to 2023, Gencsoy took successful $328,478 from much than 180 monthly survivor’s payment pension payments.

“Gencsoy admitted that she routinely transferred the subsister payment pension payments to a slope relationship she controlled solely aft each nonstop deposit and utilized the wealth to wage for her idiosyncratic expenses,” the quality merchandise states.

She present owes that wealth successful restitution. Broward spot records amusement Gencsoy owns a beachfront condominium on Galt Ocean Drive valued astatine much than $1.1 million.

Prosecutors didn’t disclose erstwhile she’s acceptable to beryllium sentenced. Once she finishes her situation term, she’ll walk up to 3 years connected supervised release.