A former Town of Throop Supervisor was arrested and pleaded guilty today to stealing nearly $11,000 from the town over a two-year period, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Attorney General Letitia James and the New York State Police announced. William Tarby pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree and Official Misconduct. As part of his plea agreement, he will pay full restitution and cannot seek public office again.
“William Tarby exploited his position with the town to pay off personal debts and make home improvements,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to the work of my office, his crimes were uncovered, and he is being held accountable. I’d like to thank Attorney General James and the New York State Police for their work in partnering with us to bring him to justice.”
“Elected officials who use their authority to enrich themselves are not only violating the law, they’re violating the basic trust that New Yorkers put in them,” James said. “William Tarby stole from the people he was elected to serve, and today we are making him pay. I want to thank Comptroller DiNapoli and our partners in law enforcement for their diligent work to hold Mr. Tarby accountable.”
“Mr. Tarby violated the public trust by disregarding the law and stealing from town funds,” New York State Police Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento said, “The prosecution of this individual sends a strong message that we will not tolerate such corruption when a public servant seeks to use their position to profit at the expense of taxpayers and the local community. I thank the State Comptroller’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office for their partnership in this investigation.”
Tarby, 58, was the town supervisor of Throop from 2004 through 2019. In 2020, 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 $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.
As supervisor, Tarby controlled all aspects of the town’s finances and therefore was able to conceal his theft from the town board. He was the only town employee with access to certain of the town’s various accounts and was the only town employee who made cash withdrawals from those accounts.
Tarby pleaded guilty in Cayuga County Court before Judge Thomas G. Leone. Sentencing was scheduled for April 18.
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.