Town clerk in Finger Lakes gets jail time for stealing public funds

POTTER — A former town clerk in the Finger Lakes region was recently sentenced to a half-year of jail time for using her position to steal nearly $27,000 in public funds for her personal use.

Julie Brown, former town clerk and tax collector for the Town of Potter in Yates County was sentenced to six months in Yates County jail on May 25.

Brown — a 49-year-old resident of the neighboring town of Middlesex — stole cash payments made to the town for property taxes and fees for marriage licenses, dog licenses, hunting permits, and building permits, according to a news release from New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office.

She used the money to support her personal lifestyle, including trips to casinos and gambling websites. The thefts took place between Jan. 1, 2018, and May 21, 2019, when Brown resigned. She agreed to pay $26,729 in restitution as part of her plea agreement in March of this year, of which she has already paid $20,000, DiNapoli said.

Her thefts were discovered during a joint investigation by the comptroller’s office, Yates County District Attorney Todd Casella’s office, and Yates County Sheriff Ronald Spike’s office.

Brown pleaded guilty in March to grand larceny in the 3rd degree as a public-corruption crime, corrupting the government in the 2nd degree, scheme to defraud in the 1st degree, and two counts of tampering with public records in the 1st degree (all felonies), as well as official misconduct (a misdemeanor).