Town Supervisor Accused of Using Taxpayer Money for Vacations, Booze, Bills and Purses

A Southern Tier elected official is accused of stealing over $100,000 in town funds and buying luxury items on the taxpayers' dime.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says Pharsalia Town Supervisor Dennis Brown allegedly pilfered  $124,000 from the municipal coffers to pay credit card bills and tack an additional $20,000 a year onto his salary.

According to the Comptroller’s Office, the 70-year-old South Plymouth resident allegedly used the Town’s credit card to spend at least $123, 273 to pay for his personal lifestyle including vacations to Myrtle Beach and New York City, paying PayPal, Amazon and iTunes for designer handbags, liquor and cooking classes and paying 100% of his home telephone, electric and internet bills with taxpayer money.

DiNapoli says his office’s inquiry into Brown’s finances began with an audit in 2018.

Brown is charged with felony grand larceny, scheme to defraud, defrauding the government, corrupting the government and public corruption.