The former Town of Throop Supervisor, William Tarby, paid full restitution as part of his sentencing after pleading guilty to stealing $11,000 from the town, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Attorney General Letitia James, and the New York State Police announced today. William Tarby pleaded guilty to grand larceny and official misconduct in January, and as part of his plea agreement, cannot seek public office again.
“William Tarby scammed town residents by abusing his position for personal gain,” DiNapoli said. “I thank Attorney General James and the New York State Police for their work in partnering with us to bring him to justice. My office will continue to work with law enforcement agencies across the state and country to protect taxpayers from corruption.”
“Every New Yorker should be able to trust that the officials elected to serve them are operating in the public’s interest, not using their office to enrich themselves,” James said. “William Tarby exploited his position to steal thousands of dollars from the town he was supposed to be serving. Today, we are ensuring that he will be held accountable. I thank Comptroller DiNapoli and our partners in law enforcement for their support in bringing Mr. Tarby to justice.”
Tarby, 58, was the town supervisor of Throop from 2004 through 2019. In 2020, based upon concerns from the town, DiNapoli’s office commenced an audit of the town which found financial irregularities. A subsequent investigation found that from January 2017 to December 2019, Tarby pocketed almost $11,000 from the town.
Investigators determined Tarby made unauthorized cash withdrawals from town bank accounts, took cash back on checks made out to the town, and kept for himself cash paid to the town for scrap metal, fines, and the sale of equipment, among other things. Following the audit and investigation, the Office of the State Comptroller referred the case to the Office of the Attorney General for criminal prosecution.
Tarby was sentenced in Cayuga County Court by Judge Thomas G. Leone.
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.ny.gov/investigations, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.