On August 1, 2024, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James jointly announced that a former clerk-treasurer of the Village of Addison in Steuben
County will be sentenced to serve 3-to-9 years in state prison, pay full
restitution of $1.1 million, and forfeit her public pension after being
convicted of one felony count of Corrupting the Government.
Ursula Stone
pled guilty on May 29, 2024, admitting that she
abused her position to steal more than $1 million over her 19-year career.
Stone’s forfeiture of her state pension as a result of her public corruption
conviction will be the first pension forfeiture in New York state.
“Public
service is a privilege and a duty. Those who abuse their positions and betray
their communities undermine the integrity of government and risk losing their
right to a public pension,” DiNapoli
said. “For nearly two decades, Ursula Stone took
advantage of her position and the trust of Addison residents to
shamelessly steal over a million dollars. Thanks to the work of my office,
District Attorney Baker, and the State Police, her crimes were uncovered, and
she has been brought to justice. This case should send a clear message that
those who dishonor their public office will face serious consequences.”
“The
magnitude, scope, duration and pervasiveness of this criminal activity is
absolutely stunning,” Baker said.
“For nearly two decades, Ursula Stone abused the trust of the people of the Village of Addison, using her position to steal
from their taxes, their schools and their community. The impact of her
criminal acts on this community has been and will be felt for decades. But
for the dedication and expertise of the New York State Comptroller’s Office it
might still be going on unnoticed. This sentence sends a clear message to
this defendant about the damage she caused and to anyone else who might
consider such crimes about the high price that will be paid. I want to
thank the New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and the members of his
office for the incredible effort they put forth in identifying and prosecuting
this crime. Their hard work and cooperation with the New York State
Police and my office put us in a place to bring Ursula Stone to justice, and
will bring this sad chapter for the village to a close.”
“The
sentencing of Ms. Stone demonstrates the vital collaborative work of our law
enforcement partners focused on the same goal; holding those who break our laws
accountable,” New York State Police Superintendent
Steven G. James said. “The victims in this case are the people of New York who put their trust in
this former Village of Addison employee. I commend our
State Police members, our partners at the State Comptroller’s Office and
Steuben County District Attorney’s Office for their commitment to investigating
those who prey on the unsuspecting public for their own gain.”
Under a 2011
law* and a 2018 New York state Constitutional
Amendment**, certain public officials convicted of crimes related to their office
may be subject to pension forfeiture. It is the responsibility of the
prosecuting attorney with jurisdiction over the crime to commence an action for
pension forfeiture and show the defendant knowingly and intentionally committed
a crime related to public office. Here, Stone has admitted to her crimes and
agreed to pension forfeiture as part of her sentence.
Stone, who
retired in March 2023, will forgo her monthly pension payment of $1,920.
DiNapoli’s
office began an audit of the village in 2022 and found the 56-year-old Stone
had been running the financial operations of the village with no oversight. She
prepared payroll, maintained manual leave records, and processed health
insurance buyouts and unused leave payments with no review or approval from the
mayor or any other village official.
Upon
subsequent investigation, DiNapoli’s office also discovered that checks from
the Addison Central School District, payable to the
village, were not deposited into the village’s accounts. A joint investigation
by DiNapoli’s office, the New York State Police, and the Steuben County
District Attorney’s Office determined that Stone stole dozens of such checks
payable to the village, which she converted to certified bank checks and
cashed.
Additionally,
investigators found Stone gave herself unauthorized pay raises, took time off
without deducting it from her leave credits and wrote herself checks for
unauthorized health insurance buyouts from village funds. Stone had also been
cashing out unused vacation time since 2004, an option that was only available
to employees who resigned or retired.
Before
submitting her resignation letter, she wrote herself a final check for $26,613,
which was not authorized by the board. The board stopped payment on the check
before she was able to cash it. In total, investigators say she stole
$1,171,362.
Stone is
scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 7 by Judge Chauncey Watches of Steuben County
Court and her pension forfeiture ordered by Judge Patrick F. McAllister in
Steuben County Supreme Court.
* Pension Forfeiture For Public Officials: See Retirement & Social Security (RSS) Chapter 51-A.
** In 2017 the Pension Forfeiture for Convicted Officials Amendment was on the ballot in New York State as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment and was approved in 2018.
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Since taking
office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and
encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report
allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud
Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236 or by filing a complaint online at https://www.osc.state.ny.us/investigations.
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