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Grandpa accused of stealing granddaughter’s inheritance

A Suffolk grandfather is accused of stealing millions of dollars from his granddaughter. Gary Eriksen is the father of Scott Eriksen, who died in 2005 after an altercation with a sheriff's deputy while

News 12 Staff

Nov 29, 2014, 4:05 AM

Updated 3,658 days ago

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A Suffolk grandfather is accused of stealing millions of dollars from his granddaughter.
Gary Eriksen is the father of Scott Eriksen, who died in 2005 after an altercation with a sheriff's deputy while in custody. The county settled the case six years later for $3 million.
News 12 Long Island has learned 13-year-old Rebecca Schaefer is the biological daughter of Eriksen, but was born out of wedlock when he was a teenager and never knew who her father was until years after his death.
She now lives with her maternal grandmother, who is also her legal guardian.
Schaefer's lawyer is fighting to get back the multimillion-dollar settlement the court awarded to her grandfather in 2011. He claimed he didn't know he had a granddaughter.
According to a warrant, a judge ordered Schaefer's grandfather to return the money to her last year. Her attorney claims Eriksen spent the money on luxury cars, real estate on Long Island and in Florida, and on business investments like the Emporium in Patchogue.
Gary Eriksen was arrested Tuesday on a civil warrant and was remanded until his court date next week.