Raleigh man's retirement dreams vanish when state's miscalculation leads to $241,000 debt

DEADLIEST WEEK ENDS ON THE

ROAD. CLICK IT OR TICKET RUNS

THROUGH JUNE 4TH, WE ALL HAVE

DREAMS OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO

SPEND OUR RETIREMENT YEARS.

WHAT THE STATE TOOK YOUR DREAM

AWAY.

>> A 5 ON YOUR SIDE AT WRAL

INVESTIGATION FOUND THE

DEPARTMENT OF STATE TREASURER

OVERPAID AND UNDERPAID.

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF

RETIREMENT MONEY FOR YEARS WHO

PAID RETIREES NOW DEALING WITH

UNEXPECTED DEATH AND THEY

INCLUDE ONE WOMAN WHO CALLED

KEELY FOR HELP.

>> EVEN IN GREECE, ANY GLENN,

MAKE SURE EVERYONE ELSE IS OK,

YOU KNOW, WE SOMETHING NEW.

SHE KEEPS REMINDERS OF HER

BELOVED HUSBAND, JOSEPH,

EVERYWHERE. EVEN IN THE PLACE

SETTINGS. I WOULD GET READY

BECAUSE OF THIS. THE MEMORIES

PROVIDE RELEASE AND OCCASIONAL

SMILE. I WAS WITH HIM FOR OVER

40 NEED. JOE IS WITH PENNY.

STILL, WE NOW HEAR ESSENDON

EARN IN THE KITCHEN. HE WAS

MEMBERS

>> HE TOOK CARE OF ME AND YOU

KNOW, I DO WANT TO CLONE PAIR

OF THIS THIS IS NEW FOR PUTIN.

DIFFICULT NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF

THE LOSS DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF

HELP PENNY IN GLENN SPENT THE

LAST OF THEIR 40 YEARS TOGETHER

HOME, NO BADGE AND HAVE NEVER

HAD TO GO THROUGH WITHOUT MEN.

LET'S REWIND TO 1996 JOE

RETIRED. HE WORKED FOR THE

CITY, HAS A HEAVY MACHINERY

WORKER.

>> DOING THE DIRTY WORK WHICH

KEPT RALEIGH RUNNING. I'VE SEEN

YOU IN KNEE DEEP OR

>> KO EYES. WORD RIP AND WATER

MAINS.

>> FOR YEARS THE GLENS RECEIVED

A LETTER AFTER LETTER FROM THE

STATE'S RETIREMENT SYSTEMS

DIVISION TELLING THEM WHAT

THEIR PAYOUT WASN'T, THAT IT

WAS ACCURATE. THEN IN 2018,

ANOTHER LETTER, THIS ONE

SHATTERED EVERYTHING. IT TOLD

THE PLAN 3RD BEEN A MISTAKE

AND THAT FOR 17 YEARS THE STATE

HAD OVERPAID THEM MORE THAN

$241,000. AND NOW JOIN KENNY

HAD TO PAY EVERY CENT BACK.

>> I READ IT TO, YOU KNOW.

WE NEED EACH OTHER. AND WE BOW

DOWN. START TO CRY. BOTH OF US.

BUT WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

PAY 200 AND $40,000.

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THEY

WERE OVER PAY ME. YOU KNOW, I

WISH I WAS DOING THIS

INTERVIEW. STATE TREASURER DALE

FOLWELL WANT THE THROUGH 5 ON

YOUR SIDE. WANTED TO KNOW HOW

FAMILIES COULD POSSIBLY KNOW

THEIR PAYOUT WAS INCORRECT WHEN

THEY WERE REASSURED BY THE

STATE THAT THEIR PAYOUTS WERE

CORRECT. SURE.

>> THAT'S A GREAT POINT.

>> BUT THE DATES THAT YOU

MENTIONED ARE WHAT WE CALL

PREVAIL BECAUSE I WAS IN THE

TREASURE THEM BY PRE DALE.

HE MEANS A PREVIOUS

ADMINISTRATION WHEN TREASURER

RICHARD MOORE WAS IN OFFICE

AND THE ERROR OCCURRED.

>> FOLLOW SAID HE HAD NO CHOICE

BUT TO GO AFTER THE MONEY.

HE TOLD US THE STATE RETIREMENT

FUND IS WORTH

114 BILLION DOLLARS. AND RIGHT

NOW 1 MILLION NORTH CAROLINIANS

ARE ON THE PLAN TO PUT THAT

INTO PERSPECTIVE. THE GLENS

DEBT IS WORTH ABOUT. $0.25 TO

EVERY PERSON ON THE PLAN.

>> IN OTHER WORDS, THE $240,000

IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET FOR

THE STATE. BUT FOR THE GLENS,

IT WAS EVERYTHING I SAY HE WILL

NEVER LET UP A BIT. WHAT ARE

THEY SAYING? HE'S A LITTLE BIT.

TAKE IT IN. AS LONG AS WE CAME

AND THEY DID JOE DIDN'T HIRE A

LAWYER. HE DIDN'T LOOK FOR A

WAY OUT THE GLENS FILED FOR

BANKRUPTCY. CAN YOU THINK OF

THE

MAN IT 80

>> WELL, BAD WERE JOE GLENNON,

HIS 80'S WENT TO WORK TO PAY AN

IMPOSSIBLE DEBT BY DELIVERING

PARTS FOR O'REILLY AUTO.

SO MANY INSTANCES THERE WILL BE

10'S IF NOT HUNDREDS OF

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

>> ON ANY ONE CASE THAT WE

CANNOT COLLECT BECAUSE, YOU

KNOW, THE PERSON IS AGED OUT.

THEY'VE DIED. YES.

>> FOR ALL OF HIS EFFORT, JOE

MANAGED TO PAY BACK

$4,976.17 BEFORE DYING IN JUNE

OF LAST YEAR.

>> YEAH. BUT EVEN IN DEATH,

THE STATE FOUND A WAY TO

COLLECT A LITTLE JOE'S PENSION

PROVIDED MONEY FOR HIS FUNERAL.

IT WAS $10,000. THE STATE TOOK

THAT TO LEAVING PENNY TO PAY

FOR IT HERSELF. KNOWING THAT

I'M NOT ABLE TO PAY FOR IT.

NOW.

>> BECAUSE OF SOMEBODY ELSE'S

ERA.

THAT BREAKS MY HEART TO.

THIS IS THE MAN WHO STITCHED

UP IS ABOUT TAKING CARE OF

PEOPLE REVEAL FERGUSON. HE OWNS

ARE AND FERGUSON FUNERAL HOME.

AND WHEN HE HEARD THE STORY, HE

DONATED THE SERVICE. WHY DID

YOU DECIDE TO HELP PENNY?

SHE WAS WILLING TO COME HERE

>> SWEEP AND MOP AND OUT.

COME CLEAN UP WHAT YOU NEED.

A WOMAN. I SHOULD BE ENJOYING.

HE IS NOT TRYING TO WORRY ABOUT

PAYING OFF.

>> I BET IT WAS A SHOW OF GRACE

AND KINDNESS THAT JOE NEVER

LIVED TO SEE. WE KNOW

>> NOW WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE

40 OTHER RETIREES FOR IN THIS

VERY SAME SITUATION. AND IF

YOU'RE ONE OF THEM, WE WOULD

REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

>> THIS SOUNDS SO INCREDIBLY

UNFAIR. WHAT ABOUT STATUE OF

LIMITATIONS? HAS THE STATE GO

BACK DECADES TO GET THIS MONEY?

YOU'RE RIGHT IN THE CITY OF

NORTH CAROLINA, THERE'S

TYPICALLY A STATUTE OF

LIMITATIONS FOR ONLY 3 YEARS.

YOU CAN ONLY GO BACK 3 YEARS TO

RECOUP A DEBT. WELL, THE STATE

IN THIS SITUATION IS EXEMPT

FROM IT BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE

LAWS ARE WRITTEN. IT'S VERY

TO KIND OF DEAL WITH THIS IN

ANY CASE LIKE THIS WHERE

SOMEONE TRY TO TAKE IT TO

COURT. OFTENTIMES THEY SIDE

WITH THE STATE. NOW, I KNOW A

LOT OF PEOPLE WATCHING THIS ARE

PROBABLY WONDERING ABOUT THEIR

OWN RETIREMENT. PAY OUT.

WE HAVE A WAY FOR YOU TO GO

CHECK. JUST GO TO OUR WEBSITE,

WRAL DOT COM AND GO TO 5 ON

YOUR SIDE. HOPEFULLY PEOPLE

MIGHT RECOGNIZE A PROBLEM

BEFORE IT GETS TO 221,000.

I HOPE THIS IS A LESSON FOR THE

DEPARTMENT BECAUSE YEAH, WITH

PENNY THAT WAS ON NOTICE FOR

17 YEARS AND SEE HOW MUCH IT