A former treasurer of the Morley Volunteer Fire Co., Cindi Perkins, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree for stealing over $16,000 from the company over a three-year period, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today.
“Ms. Perkins was entrusted with money meant to protect her community. Instead, she betrayed the fire company and her neighbors by enriching herself,” DiNapoli said. “Combatting fraud and protecting taxpayer money is a priority of mine, and I thank St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua and the New York State Police for partnering with my office to bring her to justice.”
Perkins, who worked for the fire company from 2016 to 2019, made unauthorized cash withdrawals, failed to deposit fire company funds, made unauthorized purchases, and wrote unauthorized checks to herself. The monies were a combination of payments from the Town of Canton and the Morley Fire District, as well as fundraising dollars.
Investigators found the 58-year-old Perkins, who controlled all aspects of the fire company’s finances, made more than $16,000 in personal cash deposits soon after similar cash amounts were paid to the Morley Volunteer Fire Co.
Bank records also showed ATM withdrawals made from the Morley Volunteer Fire Company accounts at the Del Lago Resort and Casino and the Turning Stone Resort Casino.
Perkins used the stolen money for personal purchases including groceries, makeup, and other retail consumer items, investigators found.
Perkins, of Canton, pleaded guilty in St. Lawrence County Court. She is due back in court for sentencing on Jan. 3.
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 filing a complaint online at https://www.osc.state.ny.us/investigations, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.