Former Mayfield Town Clerk Dorothy Hart pleaded guilty today to grand larceny for pocketing over $35,000 in public funds, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced.

"Ms. Hart tried to game the system and used her position of trust to steal tens of thousands in public funds,” said DiNapoli. "I thank Fulton County District Attorney Chad Brown and New York State Police for their diligent work in helping us hold Ms. Hart accountable."

Hart, 64, of Mayfield, pleaded guilty to fourth degree grand larceny, a class E felony. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 23, 2019.

While she served as the elected town clerk, Ms. Hart pocketed more than $27,000 in property taxes and more than $8,000 of the dog licensing fees and other fees. She submitted monthly reports from January 2011 to February 2015 to the town supervisor and falsely claimed that she turned over portions of the dog licensing money to the county treasurer. The State Comptroller's and State Police’s investigation found, however, that Hart kept the money for her personal use.

DiNapoli's investigation was handled by his Division of Investigations working with his Division of Local Government and School Accountability in partnership with Fulton County District Attorney Brown and the New York State Police.

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 [email protected], or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 14th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.