A New York town clerk and treasurer will be sentenced to prison and forced to give up her pension after stealing more than $1 million during her tenure.
Ursula Stone, 56, pleaded guilty to public corruption and admitted to stealing $1,171,362 from the Village of Addison in Steuben County over her 19-year career.
An audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli in 2022 found Stone had been running the financial operations of the village with no oversight.
Investigators said 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.
‘For nearly two decades, Ursula Stone took advantage of her position and the trust of Addison residents to shamelessly steal over a million dollars,’ DiNapoli said.
Ursula Stone, 56, pleaded guilty to public corruption and admitted to stealing $1,171,362 from the Village of Addison
Stone served as the clerk-treasurer of the Village of Addison for 19 years
‘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.’
DiNapoli’s office found Stone stole dozens of checks from the Addison Central School District payable to the village by converting them to certified bank checks and then cashing them out for herself.
The woman had also been cashing out unused vacation time since 2004, an option only available for employees who resigned or retired.
As pressure from the investigation mounted, Stone resigned from her position in March 2023, but not before writing herself one final unauthorized check for $26,613.
The board stopped payment on the check before she was able to cash it.
Investigators said Stone stole checks, gave herself unauthorized pay raises and took time off without deducting it from her leave credits
She was arrested in November and pled guilty to one felony count of corrupting the government.
Stone will be sentenced to serve three-to-nine years in state prison on August 7, reported WHAM.
Steuben County Supreme Court Judge Patrick F. McAllister has also ordered her to give up her monthly pension payment of $1,920 – making her the first person in the state to face that punishment under a 2011 law.
‘The magnitude, scope, duration and pervasiveness of this criminal activity is absolutely stunning,’ said Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker.
‘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.’
