Former President of local historical society pleads guilty to stealing over $62,000 from the non-profit organization.

On June 26, 2026, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Orleans County District Attorney Susan M. Howard and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced that the former president of the Clarendon Historical Society, Melissa M. Ierlan, pleaded guilty to a felony for stealing over $62,000 from the non-profit and will pay $62,000 in restitution. She also previously held positions as the town historian, the code inspector for the Town of Clarendon and the code enforcer for the towns of Byron and Murray.

The Clarendon Historical Society, which receives town funding, operates and manages two buildings as a museum, housing local artifacts and displays.

“Ierlan exploited her role in preserving the town’s rich history to instead enrich herself,” DiNapoli said. “As part of her plea agreement, she now has to return the money she stole. My thanks to D.A. Howard and the New York State Police for their partnership on this case.”

“We will not tolerate the conduct of those who use their position to steal money meant to enrich the community and the lives of others. It is disreputable for any entrusted individual to take advantage of others, especially in this manner. The State Police will continue to assist the Comptroller’s Office and Orleans County District Attorney’s Office in investigating and apprehending anyone willing to engage in dishonest acts,” James said.

A joint investigation by DiNapoli’s office and the New York State Police determined that Ierlan, who had been president and financial controller from 2020-2025, had unchecked control of the society’s accounts, which enabled her to embezzle more than $62,000 from July 2020 to September 2025. Ierlan made numerous personal purchases and payments with the society’s debit card and checkbook, withdrew thousands of dollars in cash in person at the bank branch and at the ATM. She also made payments to her personal credit card with society funds.

Ierlan also fraudulently reimbursed herself for the purchase of a fiberglass ox statue for the “Oxen of Orleans” Public Art Project. Ierlan purchased the ox with her own personal funds and was reimbursed by the Town of Clarendon with federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. She then issued herself a second reimbursement with society funds. Ierlan also used society funds to purchase a shipping container for personal use, deposited society donations into her personal bank account, and transferred society funds to a deceased relative’s estate account of which she was the executor.

Ierlan pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree before Judge Sanford Church in Orleans County Court. Her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 26.

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 emailing a complaint to investigations@osc.ny.gov or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.

Appellate Division reinstates Plaintiff's retaliation claims and granted motion seeking leave to amend Plaintiff's complaint

Plaintiff' filed claims alleging retaliation by the Employer in violation of the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws. 

Supreme Court granted the Employer's motion to dismiss the Plaintiff's unlawful discrimination complaint and denied Plaintiff's motion seeking leave to amend the complaint to supplement Plaintiff's Human Rights Laws retaliation allegations. 

Plaintiff appealed and the Appellate Division unanimously reinstated Plaintiff's retaliation claims and granted Plaintiff's motion seeking leave to amend Plaintiff's complaint to supplement Plaintiff's Human Rights Laws retaliation allegations.

The Appellate Division, however, held that:

1. Supreme Court properly dismissed [Plaintiff's] Civil Service Law §75-b whistleblower claim because the Plaintiff's "adverse personnel actions" claims of retaliatory action by the Employer were subject to "final and binding" arbitration under the terms of his collective bargaining agreement; 

2. Plaintiff's assertion of other retaliation claims under the Labor Law's election-of-remedies provision relied on statutory text that was deleted from the Labor Law by Chapter 684, §1 of the Laws of 2019; and

3. Supreme Court properly dismissed other discrimination claims advanced by Plaintiff because the complaints failed to allege facts giving rise to an inference of unequal treatment.

As to Plaintiff's retaliation claim, the Appellate Division noted that Plaintiff alleged that several days after he objected to a comment about his national origin made by a Deputy Inspector [DI], the DI sought "to replace an existing positive performance evaluation of [Plaintiff] with a negative one", and that after [Plaintiff] filed a formal complaint later that month with the bureau's executive officer about the DI's conduct, Plaintiff was ordered to report to psychological services for a mandatory evaluation, which resulted in the confiscation of his gun and shield. 

The Appellate Division observed that such allegations are sufficient to assert "general knowledge by [Plaintiff's Employer] of his protected activity" as well as specific knowledge by, at a minimum, the DI and the passage of only days between Plaintiff's opposition to the DI's comment and the DI's alleged negative evaluation campaign "easily falls within the acceptable temporal range to establish a causal connection". Moreover, said the Appellate Division, the DI's "explicit reference to the bureau's executive officer 'jam[ming] [Plaintiff] up,' if proven, would constitute direct evidence of a retaliatory motive".

In the words of the Appellate Division:

a. "The alleged retaliatory actions outlined [in its decision] were "reasonably likely to deter a person from engaging in protected activity" under the City Human Rights Law (Administrative Code of City of NY), §8-107(7). At a minimum, the denial of overtime and charges and specifications were adverse actions under the State Human Rights Law", citing Pastor v August Aichhorn Ctr. for Adolescent Residential Care, Inc., 238 AD3d 645, leave to appeal denied 45 NY3d 903" and 

b. "To the extent the proposed amended pleading adds allegations that [Plaintiff's] placement on probation deprived him of opportunities and that he was denied a post at the Office of Management Analysis and Planning as part of the pattern of retaliation against him under the Human Rights Laws, the proposed pleading should be considered the operative complaint in the case".

Click HERE to access the Appellate Division's decision posted on the Internet.

Selected Internet blog posts for the week ending July 3, 2026

8 Data Optimization Strategies Every Government Security Team Needs Cybersecurity teams in government aren’t short on data — they’re drowning in it. The real challenge is knowing what to keep, what to ignore and how to turn raw telemetry into actionable insight without overwhelming staff or budgets. This paper breaks down eight practical strategies to help agencies prioritize high-value data, reduce alert fatigue and close dangerous visibility gaps across complex environments. DOWNLOAD

AI Is Reshaping Criminal Justice. The Real Question Is How We Govern It AI can improve efficiency and fairness — but only with strong oversight and accountability.  READ NOW

What Real-Time Permitting Visibility Looks Like Discover how Stockton uses KPIs and dashboards to drive accountability and efficiency. Listen now 

How Branded Communications Can Improve Government Billing Learn how consistently branded communications can increase constituent trust, improve engagement and support stronger government billing. DOWNLOAD

Cable Is Delivering Affordable Connectivity for America The American cable industry has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in broadband infrastructure, improving speed, capacity, and consumer value nationwide. Learn more. 

Affordable Connectivity Delivers Greater Opportunity for All Families rely on broadband connectivity for schoolwork, remote work, telehealth, and much more. America's cable industry is delivering budget-friendly solutions to stay connected. Learn more.

Making AI Work for Government This paper explains a "four pillars" approach to civic automation and why it results in more effective and responsible solutions for government. DOWNLOAD

Think Like a Fraudster, Adapt Like an Expert This handbook explains key varieties of identity fraud and the fundamentals of effective identity verification. Most importantly, it gives government leaders insights into the fraudster's mindset so they can create strategies to proactively prevent fraud and adapt to evolving tactics. DOWNLOAD

Keeping Public Services Accessible During Emergencies Power outages, severe weather, and equipment failures don't stop the need for public services. Learn how agencies can prepare for unexpected disruptions while maintaining reliable communications with staff and the communities they serve. DOWNLOAD 

From Buzz to Benefit: Making AI Mission-Relevant This paper explores how agencies can move beyond experimentation by aligning AI investments with mission-driven priorities and address common barriers like cost and governance. DOWNLOAD

Integrating AI, Security and Advanced Network Tech in Government This guide explores how next-generation networking, AI-powered operations and modern security frameworks work together to create a more resilient, scalable foundation for government. DOWNLOAD

New Mobile Competition Delivers More for Consumers Cable providers offer competitive broadband and mobile options, giving households more ways to combine services and reduce monthly bills. Learn more.

No More Dead Zones: How Satellite Connectivity and 5G Coverage Beyond the Urban Boundary Is Reshaping Government Operations Join us for a conversation on how satellite-enabled connectivity is changing the way state and local agencies think about resilience, mobility and network design. REGISTER

Why Government Needs Enterprisewide Collaboration This paper explores how enterprisewide collaboration helps agencies break down silos, streamline operations and deliver a more consistent experience for both employees and residents. DOWNLOAD

Better User Experiences, Better Government: Designing the Modern Workplace In this thought leadership paper, explore how the Texas Teachers Retirement System redesigned its workplace to create a more seamless employee experience, improve collaboration and reduce IT complexity. DOWNLOAD

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli releases audit reports for the New York State local governments and school districts listed below

On June 2, 2026, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the following local government and school audits were issued and have been posted on the Internet.

Click the text highlighted in COLOR to access the audit.

Village of Unadilla – Disbursements (Otsego County) Village officials did not ensure that disbursements were accurate, properly approved, supported and for appropriate village purposes. Auditors identified one or more deficiencies within 249 disbursements or 76% of the disbursements totaling $70,600 reviewed.

Gorham Fire District – Procurement (Ontario County) District officials did not always use a competitive process to procure goods and services in an economical manner or in accordance with statutory requirements set forth in state law and the district’s procurement policy adopted on June 9, 2025. Of the 77 purchases totaling $446,884 auditors reviewed, district officials did not use competitive methods for 68 purchases totaling $403,377.

Town of Whitestown – Inventories (Oneida County) The superintendent did not properly safeguard and account for diesel fuel, gasoline and motor oil inventories. As a result, fuel and motor oil purchases totaling $172,588 or 85% of the total purchases made from Jan. 1, 2024 through Oct. 31, 2025, could not be accounted for because usage records were either not maintained or were incomplete and unreliable.

Town of Paris – Water and Sewer User Charges (Oneida County) Town officials did not properly manage billing, collection and enforcement activities associated with water and sewer user charges and the town board did not authorize the water rates. The board also did not provide adequate oversight and guidance to the town’s water and sewer clerk, increasing the risk of errors or irregularities that could occur without detection.

Town of Denmark – Claims Auditing (Lewis County) The board did not properly audit and approve all claims before payment. While the board approved a list of claims for payment each month, it did not conduct a thorough audit of individual claims to determine whether they contained adequate supporting documentation, represented actual and necessary expenditures and were for valid town purposes.

Uniondale Union Free School District – Audit Follow-Up (Nassau County) The purpose of the review was to assess the Uniondale Union Free School District’s progress in implementing our recommendations in a prior audit Uniondale Union Free School District – Information Technology (2023M-61), released in October 2023. The audit determined that district officials did not adequately manage nonstudent network user accounts and permissions. Of the five audit recommendations, the district’s director of technology and library media services, technology supervisor, and officials partially implemented three recommendations and did not implement two recommendations. Auditors also reviewed progress in implementing the recommendations related to the sensitive IT control weaknesses that were reported to officials confidentially and communicated those results confidentially to district officials.

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Second Circuit affirms its school immunization ruling after reconsidering its ruling "in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522"

In 2019, New York State repealed the religious beliefs exemption to its school immunization law resulting in the law applying to all students attending public, private, or parochial schools, except those who qualify for the law’s medical exemption. 

As summarized by the Second Circuit, "Amish parents, Amish community schools, and a representative of Amish schools in New York—sued under 42 U.S.C. §1983, claiming that the law violates the Free Exercise Clause and their parental free-exercise rights under Wisconsin v. Yoder. The district court dismissed the complaint."

The Second Circuit affirmed, but the Supreme Court vacated the Second Circuit's decision and remanded "for reconsideration in light of Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. 522" (2025).

The Second Circuit, "having reconsidered the case with the benefit of supplemental briefing", again AFFIRMED.  

Click HERE to access the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit's decision posted on the Internet.