BINGHAMTON — A Binghamton woman was sentenced to five years of probation after fraudulently collecting her deceased father-in-law’s pension payments, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Broome County District Attorney F. Paul Battisti announced. Joy LaBarr, 58, must also pay full restitution of $32,000 after pleading guilty to third-degree grand larceny earlier this […]
BINGHAMTON — A Binghamton woman was sentenced to five years of probation after fraudulently collecting her deceased father-in-law’s pension payments, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Broome County District Attorney F. Paul Battisti announced. Joy LaBarr, 58, must also pay full restitution of $32,000 after pleading guilty to third-degree grand larceny earlier this year. She was sentenced in Broome County Court by Judge Carol A. Cocchiola. “Ms. La Barr’s conviction should serve as a warning to those who try to defraud the New York State pension system,” DiNapoli said in a news release. LaBarr’s father-in-law, Jack Burnett, retired in 2006 from the Binghamton Housing Authority and, under the pension option he chose, his wife was to continue receiving payments after his death. The wife predeceased him, so payments should have stopped upon Burnett’s death in December 2020. However, no one from the family reported his passing. The state retirement system became aware of his death in July 2022 and stopped payments. LaBarr called the retirement system after payments were halted, falsely claiming that Burnett was alive but was unable to personally come to the phone because he was hard of hearing, according to DiNapoli. She was seeking to get the pension payments resumed. LaBarr lived in the home with Burnett prior to his death and admitted to investigators to using his debit card after his death and making the call to the retirement system. In addition to ATM cash withdrawals, LaBarr used the stolen funds to purchase clothing, make other online purchases, and pay her mortgage. A total of 19 monthly electronic deposits totaling $31,872.55 were made into Burnett’s account after his death. “The sentencing of Joy LaBarr marks a significant step towards accountability for her actions,” Battisti said. “LaBarr stole her deceased father-in-law’s pension funds, which breached the trust placed in her and denied the legitimate beneficiaries of their entitled resources. This sentence, requiring full restitution and five years’ probation, highlights the significance of financial exploitation.”