City employee indicted for allegedly stealing $624,000 in pension funds

November 20, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The Kings County Supreme Court, Criminal Term, located at 320 Jay St. in Downtown Brooklyn. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

Share this:

A Brooklyn man has been indicted for allegedly stealing $624,000 from two retired New York City employees’ pension funds while working as an Associate Retirement Benefits Examiner at the New York City Employees’ Retirement System.

Gregory Mathieu, 40, of Canarsie, was arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court in front of Justice Danny Chun on charges including corrupting the government, grand larceny, identity theft, and offering a false instrument for filing. He is accused of exploiting his access to NYCERS systems to divert pension payments to himself over nearly three years.

“This defendant is accused of exploiting his trusted position to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the New York City Employee Retirement System, betraying retirees’ dignity and the public trust,” District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

“The financial security of more than 350,000 current and former city employees who rely on NYCERS is vital to their well-being and peace of mind,” Gonzalez added. “These are our neighbors — people who have dedicated their lives to serving New Yorkers—and we will not tolerate anyone preying on them.”

The NYCERS office at 340 Jay St. in Downtown Brooklyn, located next to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office at 350 Jay St. The office serves over 350,000 current and former city employees. Screenshot via Google Street View

According to the indictment, Mathieu reactivated the pension payments of a deceased Department of Sanitation supervisor and diverted nearly $242,000 in retroactive payments and $5,700 monthly payments from May 2021 to January 2024. In a separate scheme, he allegedly stole $199,000 from a retired MTA employee whose account was suspended for uncashed checks.

Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber explained that there were systemic vulnerabilities exposed by the case.

“This defendant used his access and knowledge of NYCERS’ systems to illegally divert pension checks from the rightful recipients to himself, bypassing internal controls,” Strauber said. “DOI will make recommendations to strengthen NYCERS’ systems, including increased oversight of changes to pensioners’ account information.”

Mathieu, a 15-year NYCERS employee, has been suspended with pay. He was released without bail and is due back in court on February 5, 2025.