An upstate New York village clerk accused of embezzling more than $1 million — roughly the town’s annual budget — will have to give up his pension in New York state’s historic pension forfeiture case.
Disgraced former Addison employee Ursula Stone, 55, who allegedly stole $1,171,362 in village funds over at least 19 years, has become the first politician to have her pension withheld under New York state anti-corruption laws, state and county officials announced. Announced last weekend.
“This case is the most thorough, and frankly shocking, violation of the public trust that I have witnessed in my 30 years as Steuben County Prosecutor,” Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker said in a statement.
“The reality is that without a full-scale proactive investigation by the state auditor’s staff, this case would still be ongoing.”
Stone appeared in Steuben County Court on Thursday and agreed to give up his $1,920-a-month pension. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported..
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said, New York’s first pension confiscation The move comes on the back of anti-corruption measures passed in 2011 as part of an ethics reform package and expanded in 2017.
Baker said that while the law had never been applied in court before, Stone’s case fell squarely within it because the allegations “impacted that village on a daily basis,” according to the outlet.
Officials said a 2022 audit of the village by DiNapoli’s office found that Stone managed the village’s finances without any oversight or accountability.
She prepared payroll, manually maintained vacation records, and processed health insurance buyouts and unused vacation pay — all without approval from the village chief or other village office staff.
Authorities said Stone used his access to the books for personal gain, giving himself raises, taking vacation time without deducting vacation credits and writing checks from village funds to buy health insurance without authorization.
She is also accused of stealing dozens of local school district checks and other checks made payable to the village, then cashing them as cashier’s checks, authorities said.
The investigation, conducted by DiNapoli’s office, New York State Police and the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office, also found that Stone had been cashing in unused vacation time since 2004, authorities said.
Officials said only retired or resigned employees are allowed to take such measures.
As authorities gradually uncovered her scheme, Stone resigned from her position in March 2023, but not before allegedly writing a final unauthorized check to herself for $26,613.
The board stopped payment on the check before Mr. Stone could cash it.
“For more than a decade, Ursula Stone exploited her position and the trust of Addison residents to systematically steal more than $1 million from the community,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “Thanks to the work of my office and collaboration with District Attorney Baker and State Police, her crimes have been uncovered and she is now facing the consequences of her actions.”
According to the Democrat and Chronicle, Stone admitted to stealing more than $100,000 but disputed prosecutors’ calculation that he stole more than $1 million.
Stone was ordered held on $20,000 bail pending his arraignment before Judge Chauncey Watches.
She is due to appear in court again on January 24th.
