A larcenous civil servant in a small upstate New York town has had his pension stripped — the first time such a thing has happened in the state’s history.
According to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, 56-year-old Ursula Stone allegedly stole a total of $1,171,362 from the Addison Village safe over a period of about 20 years.
Under New York state anti-corruption laws, Stone forfeited his $1,920 monthly pension upon his conviction. Stone pleaded guilty in May to one felony count of government corruption and is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 7 to three to nine years in state prison.
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Ursula Stone stole more than $1.1 million from the upstate New York town where she worked as clerk-treasurer. (New York State Comptroller)
“This case represents the most thorough and, frankly, shocking breach of public trust I have encountered in my 30 years as Steuben County prosecutor,” District Attorney Brooks Baker said in a statement.
Prosecutors said that without DiNapoli’s investigation, Stone’s predatory behavior over the past 19 years would have gone uncovered.
Stone, who took office in 1997, appeared in Steuben County Court last week and agreed to forfeit his pension, the first such pension forfeiture in state history, according to the state comptroller’s office.
“The reality is that without a full-scale proactive investigation by the state auditor’s staff, this case would still be ongoing,” Baker said.
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Ursula Stone, who started in the job in 1997, appeared in Steuben County Court last week and agreed to give up her pension. (Facebook)
He said Stone was targeted for pension stripping because of the impact her plans had on the village.
A 2022 audit by DiNapoli’s office found that Stone had been plundering Addison’s assets without any oversight.
She got a raise, unrecorded vacation time, cashed out unused days, and even got her health insurance paid.
DiNapoli’s office said the former pensioner stole checks made out to the village and deposited the money in his own personal account.
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Authorities say the former pensioner stole checks made out to Addison City Hall and deposited the money into his personal account. (via Wikicommons, Flickr)
After investigators began closing in on her activities, the thief quit her job in March 2023, but wrote herself a final check for about $26,000, authorities said.
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The board stopped the payment before she could cash the check. Stone’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
