Friday, April 26, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
CANTON -- DePeyster Town Clerk Michelle Sheppard has resigned her two public jobs and agreed to pay $4,303 in restitution for dodging her personal town and county tax payments over several years. In …
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CANTON -- DePeyster Town Clerk Michelle Sheppard has resigned her two public jobs and agreed to pay $4,303 in restitution for dodging her personal town and county tax payments over several years.
In St. Lawrence County Court today, Sheppard pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted tampering with public records, an E felony, after an audit and investigation by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli with St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary Rain and the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s office, according to a press release from DiNapoli’s office.
Sheppard, 43, was originally charged in July with nine counts of tampering with public records in the first degree, a class D felony, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor, for crimes dating back to 2011 and amounting to a total of $4,303.
As tax collector, Sheppard was responsible for recording, depositing, remitting and reporting all real property tax collected in a timely and accurate manner.
“Ms. Sheppard thought her government job gave her the right to tinker with public records and delay her tax payments,” DiNapoli said.
The comptroller thanked District Attorney Rain and Sheriff Wells for their participation in the case.
“It is always a pleasure working with our law enforcement partners in the Comptroller’s Office because they do such a thorough job investigating their cases, which makes my job as a prosecutor easier,” DA Rain said. “Finding corruption in government may be difficult, but it’s important to maintain the public’s confidence that it will be detected and prosecuted.”
As part of her plea agreement, Sheppard resigned her clerk’s job and a second position at the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office. Dinapoli said she is expected to pay full restitution and serve five years probation. Her sentencing is set for Oct. 26.
Her actions were uncovered during an audit and investigation by the comptroller’s staff, which noticed discrepancies in the town books and obtained a confession.
In July, DiNapoli’s office said that Sheppard had repaid the bulk of her delinquent tax bills.
