Former NY Auditor Pleads Guilty to Stealing $400,000 From Town of Wallkill

Tobias Otieno used a stolen signature of a town supervisor and other information to transfer town funds to his personal businesses.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. Courtesy of Orange County District Attorney's Office

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.–Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced on Feb. 17 that Tobias Otieno, 41, of the town of Hyde Park, New York, pleaded guilty to stealing $405,843 from the town of Wallkill government.

Otieno was one of three auditors sent by the New York State Comptroller’s Office to audit Wallkill’s finances. From June 23, 2022, to Sept. 1, 2024, Otieno used the stolen signature of George Serrano, then the town supervisor, and other sensitive financial information to transfer the $405,843 to his personal businesses from Wallkill bank accounts.

Otieno pleaded guilty to class B felony grand larceny in the second degree, a public corruption crime. Hoovler’s office will recommend a prison term of four to 12 years when he is sentenced on June 1.

Otieno’s actions during his time as an auditor were investigated by the Orange County White Collar Crimes Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and forensic auditors from the state comptroller’s office, who analyzed bank and business records. A search warrant of Otieno’s Hyde Park residence was executed on July 10, 2025.

The investigation was initiated after the town noticed missing money in April 2024. Law enforcement, the state, and the bank were immediately contacted, and the money was retrieved. The forensic audit and legal investigations found no misconduct by any Wallkill officials.

In the announcement, Hoovler thanked the town of Wallkill and the Office of the State Comptroller for assistance and cooperation during the investigations. He also thanked the Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigators, District Attorney’s Office investigators, and the Orange County White Collar Crimes Task Force.

“The use of a governmental position to steal public monies is a most serious offense that warrants severe punishment,” Hoovler said.

He also said that municipalities being audited should familiarize themselves with the process and keep in communication with the auditors, so as to prevent similar situations.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli thanked Hoovler and Sheriff Paul Arteta in the announcement for their work in securing the conviction.

Tobias Otieno pleaded guilty to stealing more than $400,000 from the town of Wallkill, N.Y. Courtesy of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office

“This individual betrayed the public trust and will now pay for it,“ DiNapoli said. ”When his wrongdoing was identified, we immediately partnered with District Attorney Hoovler and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to work jointly to expose his actions and quickly moved to terminate his employment.”