Park Slope Public Administrator Stole $78K From Dead Residents

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A Park Slope man that helped administer the estates of dead residents who didn't have wills or a family member to do so stole thousands of dollars and used it to buy cars, pay rent and go on vacations, according to the district attorneys office.

Fitzroy Thompson, 37, admitted to stealing more than $78,000 from eight dead people whose estates he was administering during his time as a case manager for the Office of the Kings County Public Administrator, prosecutors said. He was remanded to spend 60 days in jail on Friday after pleading guilty in January.

“I am committed to thwarting corruption and abuse of power and holding accountable those who betray the public trust," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "This defendant was entrusted to administer the estates of deceased individuals, but shamelessly chose to steal from them instead – causing additional grief to their loved ones.”

The public administrator's office administers the estates of those who die without a last will and testament or without family members who are able to do so.

Last March, a family member of one of the deceased residents noticed bizarre charges on their relative's account, including a $2,741 payment to go on a Carnival Cruise. Investigators then discovered that Thompson had been stealing money from credit cards and checking accounts linked to the estates since July 2017.

He had taken out more than $35,000 from the ATM, leased two cars, paid rent for two properties, paid cable and phone bills and bought tickets to the Bahamas with the money, prosecutors said.

The public administrator's office suspended Thompson once he was charged with grand larceny and he later resigned from the job. He pleaded guilty in January, will serve five years probation after his 60 days in jail and will be required to pay back all the money he stole, prosecutors said.

“This public servant abused his authority as a representative of the Public Administrator’s Office by stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the estates of several deceased persons and lining his own pockets," Commissioner Garnett said. "Now, he has a criminal felony conviction and will pay back in full the money he stole.”