Putnam County Man Embezzled $208K From 2 Civic Groups: Sheriff

GARRISON, NY — A Hudson Valley man is accused of leveraging trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from groups who were trying to support their communities, according to details of a sheriff's investigation.

Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville says that a Garrison resident was arrested for embezzling funds from two local civic organizations where he was appointed as the treasurer.

The investigation began at the end of December, when board members from a Garrison-based civic organization told authorities that they suspected the treasurer of their organization had been embezzling funds from the organization's bank account.

A Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) investigator then met with the board and was given bank records from the past four years as well as an estimate of the losses over that time period.

During the meeting, the investigator was informed that the suspect was also the treasurer for a second Garrison-based civic organization. The investigator then met with board members of the second organization and obtained copies of their bank records from the past five years.

An analysis was conducted of all the records provided by the two organizations and was reviewed by the respective board members who were able to verify any improper charges.

Investigators found that the suspect maintained accounts for the organizations at a local bank and had access to ATM, credit cards and checking accounts for both.

During the review of both organizations' records, evidence revealed that the suspect used the embezzled funds for personal use, including purchases of food, gasoline, cellphone expenses, dental bills, pet supplies, cigars, liquor, automotive and lawn equipment, building materials, dumpster rentals, as well as numerous charges at restaurants and bars throughout Putnam, Dutchess, Westchester and Orange counties, police said.

The analysis also found that food purchases were made at a local restaurant distributor after he submitted a credit application in the name of one organization, adding both his name and his wife's name as authorized users on the account, according to investigators.

The investigation also uncovered several cash withdrawals made by the suspect at ATM machines and at bank branches, sheriff's investigators said.

In total, investigators found that the suspect had embezzled over $118,000.00 from the first organization's checking and investment accounts, according to the sheriff's department. The second organization had over $90,000.00 taken from their checking account, investigators reported.

Investigators arrested 61-year-old Mark A. Kenny last Wednesday and charged him with three counts of felony second-degree grand larceny.

He was arraigned in the Philipstown Town Court in front of Judge Linson, and was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to return to court on a future date.