nothin Alleged Thief Gets Pension, At Least For Now | New Haven Independent

Alleged Thief Gets Pension, At Least For Now

Paul Bass Photo

Deputy Economic Development Director Cathy Graves, Mayor Toni Harp, and Controller Daryl Jones at Wednesday’s pension board meeting.

The city payroll employee accused of stealing almost $100,000 is getting a pension, at least until he has his day in court.

Police last week began investigating a claim that the employee, who had worked for the city since December 1976, had gradually siphoned off the money — including double-paying himself for vacation time — without notice until a recent audit turned up the theft. (Read about that here.)

Informed he was up for being fired, the employee retired instead.

The board of the City Employees Retirement Fund (CERF) learned at a Wednesday meeting that the employee will begin receiving the pension.

He will earn $59,360.70 a year, Controller Daryl Jones confirmed on Friday.

Retirees receive 70 percent of either their highest five years’ earnings or their final salary for their pensions. In this case, the pension reflects 70 percent of the employee’s final year in the job. Payroll officials made a point of calculating and recalculating the figure to make sure he didn’t earn more than he was entitled to.

The CERF board does not vote on pensions; retirees receive them automatically, said Controller Jones, who chaired Wednesday’s meeting.

Only the state has the power to seek to cancel the pension. The state attorney general can ask a Superior Court judge to revoke or reduce the pension” for any government employee who is convicted of or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to any crime related to state or municipal office in state criminal or federal criminal court,” under this law.

Elizabeth Benton, a spokesperson for Attorney General William Tong, noted that it is too early to seek such a revocation; the employee hasn’t been arrested at this point, let alone been convicted or have pleaded guilty to a crime.

We’re doing what we have to do. The attorney general will do what he’s going to do,” Jones said.

(Note: The Independent is not naming the employee because he has not at this point been charged with a crime, he is not a public figure, there is no immediate risk to public safety, and his side of the story has not been told.)

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Morgan Stanley advisor Leslie Williams updated the board on potential world political threats to returns on investment, such as a hard Brexit” in Britain. He said that would cause absolute chaos” in the markets.

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