CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to illegally collecting more than $328,000 in West Virginia public employee pension benefits over a 15-year period.
Semiha Nilgun Gencsoy, 71, of Fort Lauderdale, admitted Tuesday in federal court to one count of possession of stolen money, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Federal prosecutors said Gencsoy’s father, a retired West Virginia University professor, began receiving public pension benefits in 1985.
When he died in 2007, Gencsoy’s mother started receiving survivor benefits, which were deposited into a joint bank account she shared with her daughter.
Gencsoy’s mother died in April 2008, at which point the benefits should have stopped.
However, Gencsoy failed to notify the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board of her mother’s death and continued to receive monthly payments until June 2023.
She then transferred the funds to a separate bank account and used the money for personal expenses, according to court documents.
In total, Gencsoy received more than 180 monthly payments amounting to $328,478.38.
She faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Gencsoy has also agreed to pay full restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for August 28, 2025.
The case was investigated by the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board and the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
