A Forest Hills resident is accused of stealing more than $56,000 in Holocaust survivor benefits from the German government that should have stopped following his mother’s death, the district attorney’s office said.
Gary Jacoby, 61, was arraigned Thursday in Queens Criminal Court on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument, according to prosecutors.
He allegedly pocketed the money for four years, starting in January 2008, the month of his mother’s death.
In order to pull off the scheme, each year Jacoby would need to prove to the German Pension Insurance Co. that his mother was still alive with a life certificate signed by her, the criminal complaint said. Jacoby used a notary who knew his family and who was aware she was dead, to notarize the certificate.
He also went to the German embassy in New York City in March 2012 and stated that his mother was still alive, according to court records.
Jacoby, who was released on his own recognizance, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
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