A former commander of a Geneva American Legion post has been sentenced to state prison for stealing nearly $100,000 from the organization over several years.
65-year-old Dale Mosher, the former commander of Winnek Post 396, was sentenced Wednesday in Ontario County Court to three to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree grand larceny. Judge Kitty Karle imposed the sentence under a plea agreement reached in November with the Ontario County District Attorney’s Office. Mosher must serve at least three years and will receive credit for time already served in the Ontario County Jail since his arrest in late October.
During the sentencing, Judge Karle read several victim impact statements aloud in court, with many of the victims present. The statements will be included in Mosher’s pre-sentence investigation report provided to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Investigators determined Mosher stole $92,698 from the Geneva-based post during multiple terms as commander over a 20-year period. Authorities said he believed he was entitled to payment for his work in the role.
As part of the sentence, Mosher was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the American Legion. Orders of protection were also issued for several individuals he threatened while attempting to avoid prosecution.
Mosher failed to appear for a court date on September 18, prompting a bench warrant for his arrest. Prosecutors said he fled New York and took his sister’s vehicle while visiting her in Tennessee. He was arrested on October 13 at a Walmart in Hemlock Township, Pennsylvania, and extradited back to New York.
In addition to the grand larceny charge, Mosher had been charged with aggravated harassment and intimidating a victim or witness. Authorities said he sent threatening letters to witnesses, including one considered a death threat. The plea agreement resolves all pending charges, and no-contact orders of protection remain in place.
Addressing the court, District Attorney Jim Ritts MacBride said Mosher’s actions caused significant harm to victims, local veterans, and the American Legion as a whole. He also thanked the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation, specifically recognizing retired Investigator Doug Smith for traveling across the state to gather evidence.
“While no sentence can undo the harm that was done, it is my hope that the resolution of this case will bring a measure of healing to an organization that means so much to its community and to the veterans it serves,” MacBride said. “Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable and affirms that this community stands with its veterans.”
The Ontario County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Mosher will not face federal charges in the case.
