Connecticut Resident Sentenced To 37 Months In Prison For Fraudulently Obtaining $1.2 Million In Unclaimed Property

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Henry J. White, Jr, age 75, of Connecticut, was sentenced by United States District Judge Karoline Mehalchick to 37 months in prison for submitting false and fraudulent claims for unclaimed property to state treasuries.

According to United States Attorney Brian D. Miller, White, along with his sister and codefendant, Patricia A. White, together received over $1.2 million in false and fraudulent claims for unclaimed property from state treasuries around the United States. Henry J. White, Jr., using the names of corporate entities with which he was not affiliated and which he had no lawful authority to use, applied for and received unclaimed property from state treasuries throughout the United States. This scheme took place over the course of approximately ten years, from around 2013 until around 2022. State treasuries, relying on the certifications provided by Henry J. White, Jr., under penalty of perjury, issued payment checks, which were generally sent by U.S. mail to the shared home address of both defendants.

From there, the Whites deposited and cashed these fraudulently obtained payment checks, and these funds were then used for personal expenses, including for mortgage payments for their shared home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

Patricia A. White's sentencing hearing, which has yet to be scheduled, will occur at a later date.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Mehalchick also ordered that White pay $1,208,271 in total restitution to approximately 30 state treasuries.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma prosecuted the case.

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