A Florida woman has been sentenced to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $328,478.38 in restitution after admitting to illegally receiving West Virginia public employee pension benefits over a 15-year period.
Semiha Nilgun Gencsoy, 71, of Fort Lauderdale, was found guilty of possession of stolen money. Court documents show that the funds came from survivor’s benefit payments originally intended for her mother, who had been receiving them as the widow of a retired West Virginia University professor.
Gencsoy's father began collecting pension benefits upon his retirement in June 1985. After his death in June 2007, Gencsoy's mother started receiving survivor benefits from the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board (WVCPRB). These payments were deposited into a joint bank account shared by Gencsoy and her mother.
Following her mother's death in April 2008, Gencsoy became the administrator of her mother's estate. She admitted that she knew the pension benefits should have ended with her mother's passing and that she was required to notify WVCPRB and close their joint account but failed to do so. She also did not report the ongoing pension payments to probate court authorities.
From May 2008 through June 2023, more than 180 monthly survivor’s benefit payments totaling $328,478.38 continued to be deposited into the joint account. Gencsoy transferred these funds into an account she controlled alone and used them for personal expenses.
“Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board (WVCPRB) and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).”
United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston delivered the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case.
Additional information about this case can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-75 (https://pacer.uscourts.gov/).
