Former Addison village clerk-treasurer to be sentenced to up to nine years of jail time for $1.1M theft

ADDISON, N.Y. — A former clerk-treasurer for the Steuben County Village of Addison government will serve between three and nine years in state prison for stealing over $1.1 million from the village. That’s according to a news release from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, issued jointly with the Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker and the New York State Police. Ursula Stone pled guilty on May 29 to felony corrupting the government, admitting to abusing her position to steal more than $1 million during her 19-year career. She will be sentenced on Aug. 7 by Judge Chauncey Watches of Steuben County Court. Judge Patrick F. McAllister of Steuben County Supreme Court ordered the forfeit of her pension, which paid out $1,920 monthly, as part of her agreed-upon sentence. “Public service is a privilege and a duty,” DiNapoli said in the release. “Those who abuse their positions and betray their communities undermine the integrity of the government and risk losing their right to a public pension. For nearly two decades, Ursula Stone took advantage of her position and the trust of Addison residents to shamelessly steal over a million dollars.” The investigation into Stone began after DiNapoli’s office audited the village in 2022 and found 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 further investigation, his office found that checks from the Addison Central School District to the village were not deposited into the village’s accounts. A joint investigation by DiNapoli’s office, the State Police, and the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office determined that Stone stole dozens of checks payable to the village, which she converted to certified bank checks and cashed. Investigators also found she 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. She was also cashing out unused vacation time since 2004, an option that was only available to employees who resigned or retired. Stone retired in March 2023 and, before submitting her resignation letter, wrote herself a final check for $26,613, which was not authorized by the board. The board stopped payment on the check before Stone was able to cash it. In total, investigators said she stole $1,171,362 from the village. “The magnitude, scope, duration, and pervasiveness of this criminal activity is absolutely stunning,” District Attorney 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.” Under her sentence agreement, Stone will pay full restitution along with her prison time and pension forfeiture. “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.”