A man has been indicted by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez for allegedly stealing more than $600,000 from the pensions of two retired New York City employees. The announcement was made on Tuesday.
Gregory Mathieu, a 40-year-old resident of Canarsie, has been arraigned on a nine-count indictment. He is facing charges that include corrupting the government, grand larceny, identity theft, and offering a false instrument for filing.
Between February 8, 2021, and January 2, 2024, Mathieu allegedly embezzled around $624,000 from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS). During this period, Mathieu held the position of an associate retirement benefits examiner at NYCERS. Prosecutors have accused him of the theft.
According to officials, Mathieu is accused of reactivating the pension payments of a retired Department of Sanitation supervisor who had passed away. The supervisor, who was not reported as deceased, had been receiving suspended payments. Mathieu allegedly stole around $242,000 in retroactive payments and continued to collect monthly payments of approximately $5,700 from May 2021 to January 2024.
According to reports, Mathieu is said to have stolen around $199,000 from a retired 75-year-old Associated Railroad Signal Specialist who worked for MTA/NYC Transit. The victim’s account had been suspended due to his failure to cash his pension checks. It wasn’t until January 2024 that he took action to reactivate his account, which ultimately revealed the alleged thefts committed by Mathieu.
Mathieu has been working at NYCERS for around 15 years and is currently on a paid suspension.
The court ordered him to return on February 5, 2025, and he was released without bail.
“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,” D.A. 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. These are our neighbors—people who have dedicated their lives to serving New Yorkers—and we will not tolerate anyone preying on them.”
“We are sending a powerful message by pursuing this prosecution, making it clear that individuals who exploit their positions for personal gain will be held accountable. I extend my gratitude to DOI for conducting a comprehensive investigation and to NYCERS for their cooperation in protecting the retirement funds of city employees,” he expressed.
