A 37-year-old Queens woman pleaded guilty today to felony grand larceny for stealing nearly $85,000 in New York state pension payments meant for her deceased father, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Albany County District Attorney David Soares announced. The defendant, Deanna Hansen, faces up to 28 months to seven years in prison and will pay full restitution as part of the plea.
“Deanna Hansen callously exploited her father’s death to steal from the state retirement system,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to the work of my office and Albany County District Attorney David Soares, she has been held accountable.”
“The New York State and Local Retirement System is structured to benefit those who have dedicated years of their life to public service. Instead of acknowledging and respecting the intended purpose, the defendant assumed her deceased father’s identity for personal gain,” Soares said. “I hope this resolution deters anyone who might think of gaming the system. I’d like to thank ADA Bill Andrews for handling this case, and the Albany County Sheriff’s Office for their work in bringing this case to a close. This office, along with our partners in the New York State Comptroller’s Office, will do our best to make sure crime doesn’t pay by holding offenders accountable.”
Deanna Hansen’s father retired from the state Department of Transportation in March 2003. He was receiving a direct deposit of his pension into a bank account that was in his and his deceased wife’s name. He died in April 2020, at which time the pension payments should have stopped.
Investigators determined a total of $84,754.13 in pension payments were paid into Hansen’s father’s account after his death and then fraudulently taken by Deanna Hansen.
In July 2022, the state retirement system learned that the defendant’s father had died and stopped payments. At that time, Hansen contacted the retirement system about beneficiary information.
A review of the deceased pensioner’s account showed that Deanna Hansen, who was not listed as a signatory or account holder, received $67,423 through an online payment platform from the account. Additionally, $14,914 from the account was paid to the management company of her father’s condominium, where she resided.
Hansen appeared before Judge Roger D. McDonough in Albany County Court. Sentencing was scheduled for Sept. 13.
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.ny.gov/investigations, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.