BK Retirement Benefits Employee Accused Of Stealing $624K: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A local retirement benefits professional has been arraigned on a nine-count indictment charging him with stealing approximately $624,000 from other people's pensions, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said on Tuesday.

The indicted man, 40-year-old Gregory Mathieu from Canarsie, was an Associate Retirement Benefits Examiner at the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) for about 15 years, until January 2024, Gonzalez said.

According to Gonzalez, prosecutors have accused Mathieu of stealing pension checks that belonged to two different people: A retired Department of Sanitation supervisor who had not been reported as deceased after he died at age 63, and a 75-year-old retired MTA railroad signal specialist worker whose retirement account was suspended briefly when he failed to cash his pension checks.

“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," Gonzalez said. "These are our neighbors — people who have dedicated their lives to serving New Yorkers — and we will not tolerate anyone preying on them."

Mathieu is accused of stealing approximately $242,000 of retroactive pension payments meant for the DSNY worker, and approximately $199,000 meant for the retired MTA worker, Gonzalez said.

Mathieu was charged with first-degree corrupting the government, two counts of second-degree grand larceny, two counts of first-degree identity theft, and four counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, according to Gonzalez.

"We take the safety and security of our clients’ pension accounts very seriously and we are cooperating fully with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office and the NYC Department of Investigation in this matter," NYCERS’ Executive Director Melanie Whinnery said.

Mathieu, who is currently suspended from his job with pay, was released without bail and ordered to return to court on Feb. 5, 2025, Gonzalez said.

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