BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - A former government employee in upstate New York has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $150,000 that was intended for local recreation programs.
The Erie County District Attorney’s Office says 54-year-old Joanne Erickson pleaded guilty Wednesday to grand larceny and falsifying business records.
Erickson worked for the village of Hamburg, and prosecutors say she stole cash payments from residents that were meant to fund an afterschool program, a children’s summer camp and the recreation hall.
An investigation into the thefts began when the state comptroller’s office randomly audited the village and found a discrepancy with the recreation department’s numbers.
Erickson had worked for the village south of Buffalo for 14 years before she was fired in April.
Erickson faces up to three years in prison.
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