Former Willsboro Town Clerk ordered to pay $90K restitution

ELIZABETHTOWN | Bridget Brown, former treasurer of the Essex County Agricultural Society and former Willsboro town clerk/tax collector, has been sentenced to serve five years' probation and must now pay back $90,000 for stealing from both the town and county fair. The sentence came following her May guilty plea to second-degree grand larceny and third-degree grand larceny as a crime of public corruption for stealing funds from the society and the town. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Franklin County District Attorney Elizabeth Crawford, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced Brown's sentencing July 25. "Bridget Brown abused the trust of multiple communities and treated public money in her care as her own to fund her lifestyle. Now she is a convicted felon and has been ordered to repay the money she stole," DiNapoli said. "This case should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can steal from their community and get away with it. My thanks to Franklin County District Attorney Crawford and Superintendent James for their partnership in ensuring Bridget Brown was held accountable for her crimes." "I am thankful to the investigators who dedicated themselves to the successful prosecution of this case, which required the review and analysis of thousands of pages of records that spanned a period of theft from 2013 until 2021 between two organizations and three separate job titles that the defendant held," Crawford said. "On the eve of the 176th Essex County Fair, we are hopeful that defendant will pay restitution to that organization promptly. Ms. Brown stole from the public for years without remorse and now has to face the consequences of her actions." Executive Assistant District Attorney Alyxandra Stanczak was the prosecutor assigned to the case. "This case is a clear example of how public corruption erodes trust and harms the very communities public servants are sworn to serve," James said. "Ms. Brown betrayed that trust for personal gain, but thanks to the thorough investigative work and strong interagency cooperation, she is being held accountable. I thank Comptroller DiNapoli and District Attorney Crawford for their continued partnership in protecting New Yorkers from fraud and abuse." Brown worked for the Essex County Agricultural Society — a non-profit organization that promotes agriculture through the Essex County Fair — from 2013 to 2019. She also separately served as Willsboro's town clerk and tax collector from 2014 to 2021. Brown stole approximately $60,000 from the society by padding her paychecks, making ATM withdrawals and using the society's bank account to make personal purchases. She concocted phony business records in an attempt to cover her crimes. She took an additional $29,000 from Willsboro by pocketing residents' payments for taxes, licenses, and landfill fees. Brown pleaded guilty in May. She was sentenced before Judge Tatiana Coffinger in Essex County Court, who ordered Brown to pay a 10% surcharge on top of her restitution, bringing her total repayment to $97,600.

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Former Willsboro Town Clerk ordered to pay $90K restitution

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