Two convicted in Brooklyn public administrator embezzlement case
The New York City Department of Investigation recently announced the conviction of two employees of the Kings County Public Administrator’s (KCPA) office for embezzling $2.6 million from Brooklyn estates. Between 2008 and 2011, Richard Paul and Taryn Miller engaged in a forged check scheme whereby they stole $2,617,000 from seven decedents’ estates in Brooklyn.
Given the majority of its powers through Article 11 of the New York State Surrogate’s Court Procedures Act, the KCPA is responsible for administering the estates of individuals in Brooklyn who die intestate, or without a will. The KCPA also handles estates when there is no individual qualified or willing to administer the estate.
As administrator of an estate, the KCPA is generally responsible for locating the deceased’s assets and distributing them to the appropriate heirs and distributees, as well as liquidating any remaining assets to pay the deceased’s outstanding debts and taxes. In sum, the KCPA’s goal is to protect the deceased’s property from waste and to ensure that inheritances and debts and satisfied.