Story by Ethan
On May 26th, 2026, the arrest of Charlene Budreau, age 45, was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.. Charlene Budreau was charged with two counts of first-degree Identity Theft as a D felony, second-degree Grand Larceny as a C felony, second-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property as a C felony, and second-degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument as a D felony. The arrest and charges against Charlene Budreau were a result of an investigation handled by the NYC Department of Investigation, Confidential Investigator Wendy Huang, Auditor Yanyan Wang, Assistant Inspector General Jeffrey Freeman, Deputy Inspector General Aleksandro Tilka, and Inspector General Ann Petterson.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, starting in April 2020 Charlene Budreau submitted falsified records to the New York City Employees’ Retirement System. The fraudulent forms were signed off by the defendant’s stepdaughter in order to receive a lump sum pension death benefit check worth $187,913.72. This check was then deposited into Charlene Budreau’s Citi Bank checking account in May 2021 in addition to her stepdaughter then being entitled to the full lump sum pension death benefit after the death of her father rather than the defendant.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Charlene Budreau are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
