Say F.H. Man Stole Holocaust Survivor Pension
Four years after his mother’s death, a Forest Hills man allegedly continued to claim she was still alive and received thousands in Holocaust survivor pension payments from the German government, prosecutors announced last Thursday, July 31.
Gary Jacoby, 61, of 108th Street was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court last Thursday on seconddegree grand larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument for the alleged scheme in which he unlawfully collected more than $56,000 following his mother’s passing in January 2008.
“[Jacoby] is accused of unjustly enriching himself and, as such, must now face the consequences of his alleged actions,” Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in a statement last Thursday. “If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.”
According to prosecutors, the suspect’s mother-Laura Jacoby- died on Jan. 9, 2008 at the age of 93 while undergoing treatment at Forest Hills Hospital. As a Holocaust survivor, she had been receiving payments from the German Pension Insurance Company, which were to have ceased upon her death.
But law enforcement sources claim Gary Jacoby allegedly used forged, notarized forms to collect further pension payments four years after his mother’s passing.
Reportedly, Gary Jacoby submitted to the German Pension Insurance Company notarized life certificates featuring his mother’s forged signature which purportedly claimed that Laura Jacoby was still alive.
Prosecutors said a notary public known to the Jacoby family-who also knew of Laura Jacoby’s death- participated in the alleged scheme. According to law enforcement sources, an investigation into that individual is ongoing.
During a related visit to the German embassy in March 2012, authorities stated, Gary Jacoby claimed his mother was alive.
Reportedly, Gary Jacoby received approximately $56,932 in payments the German Pension Insurance Company made to Laura Jacoby between Feb. 26, 2008 and Feb. 29, 2012.
The company eventually caught wind of the scam and alerted authorities in Queens.
Brown thanked the German Pension Insurance Company for its cooperation during the inquiry.
Det. Ferdinand Caravousanos of the NYPD Queens District Attorney’s Squad conducted the investigation under the supervision of Capt. John M. Zanfardino.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Rosemary Buccheri of the DA’s Economic Crimes Bureau under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Gregory C. Pavlides, bureau chief, and Christina Hanophy, deputy bureau chief.
