Widow of NJ police officer must repay $268K stolen from taxpayers

HAMILTON (Mercer) — A woman who admitted to stealing from her dead husband's pension has been ordered to repay nearly a decade's worth of stolen benefits.

Sandra VonScheven, 49, was ordered to pay $268,000 in restitution in Superior Court in Mercer County, the Attorney General's Office said Thursday.

That's the full amount she admitted to illegally collecting. The payments will be made to the state Division of Pension and Benefits.

The Hamilton woman was also sentenced to probation, and a suspended term of 364 days in county jail if she did not complete her probation.

Remarried NJ spouses can't collect pensions

VonScheven was the widow of a retired New Jersey police officer, authorities said. She began collecting survivor spousal benefits in November 2001.

Widows or widowers in New Jersey can legally collect benefits after the death of a spouse who is a first responder.

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But they can't collect those benefits if they remarry.

VonScheven remarried on Jan. 15, 2010 and continued to collect the pension checks through November 2019.

She admitted in a plea deal earlier this year that she knew collecting the benefits after remarrying was illegal but did it anyway, authorities said.

“This sentence should serve as a warning that we will not allow individuals to enrich themselves at the expense of New Jersey taxpayers and public servants,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin.