New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced the sentencing of Rochelle Rose to five years’ probation after her guilty plea to grand larceny in the third degree in April. Rose also paid $22,000 in restitution toward the $60,288 she stole from the NYS & Local Retirement System after her mother died.
Rose, 41, stole the funds by keeping her deceased mother’s deposited pension checks and expended them for her personal use, including cellphone and utility bills, insurance and a car loan.
The Mount Vernon resident was prosecuted by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office Investigations Division Economic Crimes Bureau. Rose’s scheme was exposed by DiNapoli’s office, which found that Rose kept her deceased mother’s bank account open to collect her mother’s pension payments.
"Thanks to my partnership with District Attorney Scarpino, Ms. Rose is being held responsible for her actions and is now required to pay full restitution of the $60,288 she stole from her deceased mother's pension," DiNapoli said. "I thank the District Attorney and his team for their outstanding efforts on this case and in helping us root out those who deceive the retirement system."
Scarpino added, “We continue to work closely with the Office of NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to weed out those who would steal from the people of New York. Our Investigations Division Economic Crimes Bureau, in partnership with OSC investigators, continues to get to the heart of these crimes so we prosecute them to the fullest to get justice for all New Yorkers.”
About the Office of the State Comptroller’s Public Corruption Effort:
Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at [email protected], or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 14th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.
About the Office of the Westchester County District Attorney:
Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. leads the largest district attorney’s office north of New York City. The office employs more than 200 assistant district attorneys, criminal investigators and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office works with over 40 local police departments, the Westchester Department of Public Safety, New York State Police, as well as other state and federal law enforcement agencies. Contact us at [email protected].