A Brooklyn man on Wednesday pleaded guilty for stealing more than $600,000 from two retired New York City employees’ pensions.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said that between February 8, 2021 and January 2, 2024, Gregory Mathieu, 41, of Canarsie, stole approximately $624,000 from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), where he worked as an associate retirement benefits examiner.
The defendant reactivated suspended pension payments of a deceased Department of Sanitation supervisor, stealing retroactive payments of approximately $242,000 and monthly payments between May 2021 and January 2024 of approximately $5,700.
In addition, the defendant stole approximately $199,000 from a 75-year-old retired associated railroad signal specialist employed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
According to the investigation, the defendant spent the stolen funds on luxury items including $2,500 for a pair of sneakers and a shirt at a Louis Vuitton store, $1,500 for a pair of sneakers at a Chanel store, $19,000 for vacation and $429,000 in cash withdrawals.
Mathieu was employed by NYCERS for approximately 15 years. He agreed to resign effective May 30, 2025.
“This defendant shamelessly exploited his position of public trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for retired city workers, using his insider access to enrich himself at their expense," Gonzalez said. "His guilty plea is a clear admission of that betrayal, and a reminder that we will not tolerate abuse of government positions for personal gain."
Mathieu pleaded guilty to first-degree corrupting the government before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun in exchange for a promised sentence of one to three years in prison and a judgment order of restitution for $511,115.61 against the defendant. NYCERS was previously able to get back approximately $113,000 from the defendant. Sentencing was set for September 17, 2025.
