CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A Florida woman has been sentenced for stealing more than $328,000 in West Virginia pension funds over a 15-year period.
Semiha Nilgun Gencsoy, 71, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, received five years of federal probation and was ordered to pay $328,478.38 in restitution after pleading guilty to possession of stolen money.
Federal prosecutors said Gencsoy continued collecting pension benefits from the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board (WVCPRB) long after both her parents had passed away.
Her father, a retired West Virginia University professor, began receiving benefits in 1985. After his death in 2007, Gencsoy’s mother collected survivor benefits until she died in 2008.
According to court documents, Gencsoy failed to report her mother’s death to the retirement board and kept the joint bank account open, allowing payments to continue.
Between May 2008 and June 2023, over 180 payments totaling $328,478.38 were deposited into the account. Gencsoy admitted to routinely transferring the funds into her personal account and spending them on her own expenses.
The WVCPRB and the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston issued the sentence, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
