Snowmobile club official in Mohawk Valley arrested for stealing $8,000

STRATFORD, N.Y. — A Fulton County snowmobile club official was charged with stealing more than $8,000 from the club and doctoring records to secure grant money, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Fulton County District Attorney Mike Poulin announced. Chad Daley, 52, was charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and second-degree falsifying business records. He will be arraigned in Stratford Town Court on Dec.3. Daley, who served as president of the Snowdrifters of Stratford, allegedly stole the money from the club from late 2018 through 2023. Daley deposited $4,155 in checks made payable to the club into his own personal bank account and also wrote a $3,500 check on the Snowdrifters’ account to cash, according to a release from the comptroller. The check was endorsed and cashed by his longtime partner. According to DiNapoli, Daley also allegedly made cash withdrawals from the club’s bank account without authorization or a corresponding purchase order. DiNapoli alleges Daley also took advantage of the club’s tax-exempt status to purchase snowmobiles and trailers, using the organization’s funds, while registering the vehicles to himself. He also used some of the stolen funds to make at least one deposit on a snowmobile for personal use and to pay for everyday living expenses, DiNapoli said. In addition, Daley allegedly made misrepresentations on the trail-maintenance logs to unlawfully obtain $40,000 in grant funding from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “Chad Daley allegedly violated the trust of club members and his community to serve his own ends,” DiNapoli said. “I thank Fulton County District Attorney Mike Poulin and the New York State Police for their partnership in ensuring justice is served.” The Snowdrifters of Stratford receives funding from the state and Fulton County. Daley served as the organization’s president for more than a decade. “This arrest is the culmination of a wide-range investigation that uncovered a dishonest act by someone who used their position to take advantage of others,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said. “I thank the comptroller’s office and the Fulton County District Attorney’s office for their committed partnership. We have zero tolerance for those who break the law to enrich themselves at the expense of the community.”