Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Possession of Stolen Money

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Semiha Nilgun Gencsoy, 71, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pleaded guilty today to possession of stolen money. Gencsoy admitted that she fraudulently received $328,478.38 in West Virginia public employee pension benefits.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Gencsoy’s father was a professor of mechanical engineering at West Virginia University. When he retired in June 1985, he qualified for and began receiving West Virginia public employee pension benefits. Gencsoy’s father died in June 2007, and her mother began receiving survivor benefits from the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board (WVCPRB) as his widow. The monthly payments were directly deposited into a join bank account that Gencsoy shared with her mother.

Gencsoy’s mother died in April 2008, and Gencsoy was appointed to administer her estate. As part of her guilty plea, Gencsoy admitted that she knew her father’s benefits expired upon the death of her mother, and that she had a duty to notify the WVCPRB of her mother’s death and to close their joint banking account. Gencsoy further admitted that she did neither.

From approximately May 2008 through June 2023, the joint bank account received more than 180 monthly survivor’s benefit pension payments totaling $328,478.38 through direct deposit. Gencsoy admitted that she routinely transferred the survivor benefit pension payments to a bank account she controlled solely after each direct deposit and used the money to pay for her personal expenses.

Gencsoy is scheduled to be sentenced on August 28, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Gencsoy also owes $328,478.38 in restitution.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board (WVCPRB) and the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-75.

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