Daughter of fallen NYPD detective fights for pension 8 years later
NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was shot and killed, execution style, on July 5, 2017 in Fordham.
Genesis Villella continues her fight to pass a bill in the NYC City Council to be awarded her mother’s pension.
NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia was shot and killed, execution style, on July 5, 2017 in Fordham.
She left behind three orphaned children - her eldest daughter, Genesis, and her twin 12-year-olds, Peter and Delilah.
Villella said she stepped into the role of both mother and father for her twin siblings.
“They said, ‘Who's going to take care of us now’ I’m like, ‘It’s me, I'm going to take care of you guys,’” said Villella.
Villella said she immediately dropped out of college to raise her siblings. She said she adopted both of them.
New York state law states children of fallen NYPD officers can access their deceased parents pension until the age of 18. If the child is enrolled full time in college, the age increases to 23.
Villella said she was unaware of the loophole in the law and was ineligible for her mother’s pension.
Select New York laws protect widows and minors, but Villella said her circumstance was different.
“There’s never been a case like mine in the history of New York,” she said.
Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz backed a bill on the state level to ensure Villella and her siblings receive the benefits they rightfully deserve.
Villella said the state cannot dictate how the city allocates its funding, so the bill was brought back down to the city level.
The bill never made it to a vote.
“Top staff up until now have said, well, we can't do it. They call a picture bill, which means it affects one family as opposed to being applied more generally,” said the assemblyman.
Villella said she has fought for eight years to bring the bill before the City Council, to no avail.
“The city that was supposed to help me has turned its back on me,” she said. "I'm not gonna stop fighting."
