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Written by: A. Smith
Published February 28, 2025 @ 9:43 AM ET
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – An elderly Gwinnett County couple have been arrested and charged with identity theft fraud and theft by deception after authorities say they collected over $1.1 million in fraudulent pension payments for more than a decade.
Mary Ann Arceneaux, 87, and Ernest Arceneaux, 89, of Snellville were taken into custody following an investigation by the Gwinnett County Police Department’s Financial Electronic Crimes Unit. Arrest warrants issued on Dec. 10 allege that the couple continued to collect pension payments from the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) after the death of Mary Arceneaux’s mother in 2010.
Authorities say Arceneaux’s mother, a retired California teacher, moved to Georgia after retiring in 1991. Following her death in June 2010, Arceneaux allegedly failed to notify CalSTRS or the bank managing the pension deposits. Beginning in May 2018, she is accused of forging documents and submitting fraudulent proof of life forms to give the appearance that her mother was still alive.
“The daughter failed to notify anybody, the bank, the California Teacher Retirement System, or anybody that she had passed away,” said Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
According to investigators, Arceneaux created and notarized false proof of life documents each year, which were then submitted to CalSTRS. The fraud was uncovered when retirement system officials, conducting routine verification procedures, discovered the mother’s death certificate from 2010.
“They were able to locate a death certificate on that former employee who was deceased in 2010,” Winderweedle said.
Authorities say pension payments were deposited into a bank account and later moved to other accounts linked to Arceneaux. The total amount allegedly defrauded since 2010 is listed as $1,166,862.69.
According to reports, Mary Arceneaux has denied the allegations.
Both Arceneaux and her husband posted bail after their arrests last week and are awaiting trial.
It remains unclear whether California officials will seek restitution for the funds. That would be potentially for the courts or the retirement system to try to work through and figure out,” Winderweedle said