ROCHESTER N.Y. — A local woman pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of in-state pension payments, sent to her dead mother, according to officials.
Karen Walsh, 68, pleaded guilty to stealing $12,973 from her mother, whose death wasn’t reported to the pension system. She will pay full restitution upfront, per the plea.
New York State Police Superintendent, Steven G. James, had this to say about the case:
“Ms. Walsh used her mother’s death to her advantage and continued to inexcusably collect the pension meant to support her mother for the remainder of her life. We will continue to aggressively investigate any case involving financial corruption and those who take advantage of the pension system. I commend the Comptroller’s Office and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office for their partnership in this investigation,” James said.
Walsh’s mother, also from Rochester, received monthly payments as a beneficiary of her late husband’s state pension. She died in 2020, that’s when her pension payments should’ve ended.
Walsh withdrew over $4,000 from the account and transferred at least $8,000 to a second account that she had access to. The NYS Office of the Comptroller tells News10NBC Walsh wrote checks from the second account, forging her mother’s name and endorsing the back of the checks with her own signature, then depositing them into her own account. Officials say she then used the second account to make personal credit card payments, paying for home improvements and groceries.
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