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A former investigator with the State Welfare Inspector General’s Office pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining unclaimed funds following an investigation launched by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Gabriel Camacho, prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, was sentenced on February 21 to community service and ordered to pay restitution.“Fraud is fraud, but it is particularly egregious when it is committed by a public servant charged with investigating fraud,” DiNapoli said.
As State Comptroller, DiNapoli is custodian of $10.5 billion in abandoned property or inactive accounts turned over to the state by banks, insurance companies, utilities, investment companies and many other businesses as required by state law. The Comptroller’s Office of Unclaimed Funds holds the accounts until they are claimed by the rightful owners.
DiNapoli’s investigation found that Camacho had submitted 15 forged abandoned property claims totaling nearly $5,000. Camacho resigned from his $62,597 position with the state on August 26, 2011.
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