Livingston County woman accused of collecting $34K-plus in her late mother’s pension payments

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, N.Y. — A Nunda woman is facing charges after authorities say she stole her dead mother’s pension payments.

Patricia Chatley, 59, is charged with third-degree grand larceny. Authorities say Chatley kept collecting more than $34,500 of her mother’s pension payments after her mother died in January 2020.

Chatley was given an appearance ticket and is due back in court Feb. 12.

Her mother, Janet Chatley, worked for the Livingston County Department of Social Services and retired in 1994. She received monthly benefits of about $1,000, which should have ceased upon her death, on Jan. 5, 2020. Her daughter Patricia did not notify the bank or the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) of her death, and transferred the pension fund payments to he personnel account, according to the New York State Comptroller’s Office.

The New York State Comptroller’s Division of Investigations became aware of her death upon receiving an anonymous complaint, according to the Comptroller’s Office — which added that investigators found that Patricia Chatley collected 30 unauthorized payments.