A former court clerk in one Wayne County community was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail after she was convicted of embezzlement and altering records to try and hide her crimes.
Eileen Steurrys was also ordered to pay over $59,000 in restitution back to the Town of Marion. Steurrys pleaded guilty in August to charges of grand larceny, corrupting the government, tampering, and official misconduct after she pocketed court fees paid by the public instead of depositing the money in the court records and created phony receipts to try and cover her crimes.
“Ms. Steurrys thought she could abuse her position to steal from the public and conceal her theft. She now faces the consequences of her betrayal of the public’s trust,” DiNapoli said. “My thanks to District Attorney Calarco and the State Police for their continuing partnership in combating public corruption.”
Wayne County Assistant District Attorney John Ferlicca said, “Eileen Steurrys abused the trust that had been placed in her by the Marion Town Court. Today she answered to the People of the State of New York for her crimes of using her court clerk position for personal enrichment.”
“The sentencing of Ms. Steurrys should serve as a reminder that those who choose to abuse their public position will be brought to justice,” said State Police Acting Superintendent Dominick L. Chiumento. “This former court clerk stole money from the court to support her own lifestyle. We will not tolerate this illegal behavior or abuse of power. I applaud the work of the State Police members assigned to this case, the State Comptroller’s Office, and the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office for their dedicated and hard work in exposing this fraud.”
Ms. Steurrys’ thefts were initially discovered when DiNapoli’s office audited the Town of Marion Court Fund. DiNapoli’s office then partnered with Wayne County District Attorney Calarco’s office and the State Police to investigate her crimes, leading to her arrest and conviction. The joint investigation determined that, from 2016 to 2021, Ms. Steurrys pocketed $59,293 in court fees paid by the public instead of depositing the money in the court’s account and altered court records and created phony receipts in an effort to hide the crimes.
On August 16, 2023, she pled guilty to grand larceny in the second degree, corrupting the government in the second degree, tampering with records in the first degree and official misconduct.
