Court Clerk Indicted For Falsification Of Court Records: DA

SAUGERTIES, NY — Investigators say that the very person trusted to protect vital records, falsified official documents.

The Ulster County District Attorney's Office said that 26-year-old Haley Whalen, of Saugerties, was indicted by an Ulster County grand jury in a 44-count indictment last Wednesday. She was then arraigned was arraigned on the indictment on Friday before Judge James Farrell, a visiting judge from Sullivan County.

According to the indictment, Whalen allegedly tampered with and falsified Saugerties Town Court records repeatedly, while she was a court clerk. The incidents took place in September of 2023, as well as May and October of 2022, investigators said. Part of her responsibility was to keep and maintain those records.

Whalen is currently on leave without pay.

"This is an indictment, so she will have an opportunity with her lawyer to defend herself," District Attorney Emmanuel C. Nneji said. "This indictment is about accountability and public confidence in public matters, the accuracy and sanctity of court and other official records. We must be able to trust that court records accurately reflect what happened in court and the transactions which those records purport to represent."