HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WETM) — A former Village of Horseheads employee was arrested on felony charges after police accused her of defrauding nearly $4,000 from the village over a span of five years.
According to the Chemung County District Attorney’s Office and New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, 49-year-old Tammy Miele was arrested and has been charged on the following felonies;
- Grand larceny
- Corrupting the government
The report says that Miele was the assistant clerk for the Village of Horseheads from 2017 to 2022. During that time, she was responsible for accepting cash payments for the village, including payments from residents who were paying their water bills.
Officials state that through a joint investigation and forensic analysis, it was learned that Miele accepted the cash from residents, but never deposited the money into the village’s bank system.
Instead, officials say she altered the village’s accounting system to delete any balances owed by the taxpayer and kept the money.
It’s reported that between September 2017 to September 2022, Miele took $3,548 from village residents. Officials say that during that time she used some of the village funds to pay her own NYSEG bill, resulting in the village paying over $450 of her bill.
According to the report, Miele was terminated from village employment in September 2022.
Miele was seen in front of Judge Christopher Pelchar following her arrest in the Elmira Heights Court and will appear again on September 6, 2023.
