New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced the arrest of former Town of Huntington employee Moses K. Johnson, 63, of Huntington, for allegedly stealing his mother’s public pension payments following her death in April of 2021.

“Mr. Johnson allegedly took advantage of his mother’s death to pocket tens of thousands of dollars he was not entitled to,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to my investigators and Suffolk County District Attorney Tierney, he is being held accountable for his crime. My office will continue to work with law enforcement agencies across the state and country to protect the New York State pension system from fraud.”

“The New York State Retirement Fund is funded by the hard work of hundreds of thousands of public sector employees, and provides retirement security for over one million members,” Tierney said. “My office will investigate and prosecute anyone alleged to have stolen from this vital resource.”

The arrest came as a result of a joint investigation by the Office of the New York State Comptroller and the Suffolk County District Attorney. According to the investigation, between April 30, 2021, and June 30, 2022, Johnson allegedly collected a total of 15 unauthorized payments that were meant for his deceased mother totaling $56,411.37. Johnson’s mother died on April 16, 2021.

It is alleged that Johnson failed to notify the bank or the New York State and Local Retirement System of his mother’s death; instead, he continued to collect and spend her pension payments. The stolen funds were traced from his mother’s bank account into his bank account, where he thereafter spent the funds.

In June of 2023, Johnson was interviewed by investigators from the Office of the New York State Comptroller. Johnson worked for Huntington’s recycling center for over 30 years and as a member of the state retirement system, he should have known that his mother’s payments should have stopped after her death.

Johnson was arraigned on Oct. 11 before Judge Anna Acquafredda in Suffolk County District Court. His next court date is Oct. 25.

The charges filed in this case are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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 https://www.osc.state.ny.us/investigations, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.