Press Release  Former UMASS Student Arraigned on Larceny and Forgery Charges in State Pension Scheme 

A former UMass Lowell student was arraigned today for allegedly collecting over $70,000 of his deceased former professor’s state pension.  

Jeffrey Nazarian, 55, of Haverhill, was arraigned on two counts of Forgery and one count each of Larceny Over $1200 by a Single Scheme, Perjury and Uttering in Salem Superior Court today.

As the result of a joint investigation by the Office of the Inspector General and the Attorney General’s Office, the defendant was indicted on December 28, 2023 by an Essex County Grand Jury. 

The investigation found that between January 31, 2019, and June 31, 2020, the defendant received more than $70,000 in state pension payments after the death of his former professor and friend, John Hamer.

The indictment alleges that following Hamer’s death on January 30, 2019, Nazarian accessed Hamer’s personal bank account and used Hamer’s pension benefits to pay credit cards balances. The indictment also alleges that Nazarian forged Hamer’s signature on nine checks drawn on that bank account. The indictment further alleges that Nazarian forged Hamer’s signature on a State Retirement Board form attesting that the deceased professor was still alive and eligible to continue receiving pension payments.

The defendant is presumed innocent unless or until he is proven guilty.

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