N.Y. Man Collects Holocaust Benefits for 6 Years After Survivor Mom’s Death
A New York man was charged with hiding his Holocaust survivor mother’s death in order to collect her reparations benefits.
Gary Jacoby, 61, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday on grand larceny and forgery charges, the Daily News reported. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Jacoby’s mother, Laura, died in 2008 at age 93. Over the next four years, he allegedly collected $56,000 in her benefits from the German government.
Jacoby allegedly colluded with a notary public to forge annual paperwork indicating that his mother was still alive.
He also appeared at the German Embassy in 2012 to testify that his mother was still alive, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Jacoby was released without bail and is due back in court on Oct. 14. He told the Daily News that he expects the charges against him to be dropped.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
