What is it about snowmobiles and theft that've gone hand in hand the past while? The most recent example of this is the former president of the Snowdrifters of Straford, Chad Daley, who pled guilty to stealing $17,000 from the nonprofit. Now, Daley has agreed to pay full restitution to the organization.
The plea deal was agreed upon last week, announced State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, Fulton County District Attorney Mike Poulin, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven James. The 52-year-old pleaded guilty to petit larceny in Stratford Town Court before Judge Nicholas Rissmeyer.
The Snowdrifters of Staford receives funding from the state and Fulton County to maintain snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks, and Daley was the president of the organization for more than a decade. According to authorities, Daly embezzled money through the organization while acting as the president and used it for his personal expenses, even buying himself a snowmobile using the embezzled cash.
Daly embezzled the money through various means. He withdrew more than $5,000 from the Snowdrifters’ bank account without authorization or a corresponding purchase order and deposited $5,300 in checks made payable to the “Snowdrifters Club” into his personal bank account, which made up the bulk of the embezzled cash. But the ex-president also transferred more than $3,000 from the club’s account to his personal account and wrote a $3,500 Snowdrifters’ check to cash.
Finally, Daly used the club's tax-exempt status and cash to buy snowmobiles and trailers, but he registered everything in his own name. He was originally charged last fall with second-degree falsifying business records, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, and third-degree grand larceny.
“I commend our state police members, the State Comptroller’s Office and Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for their rigorous work on this case. This individual abused the position he was entrusted in, taking thousands of dollars that were meant to keep snowmobile trails and the community safe. We have zero tolerance for those who seek to defraud others and put the unsuspecting public in harm’s way,” New York State Police Superintendent Steven James said in a statement.
But it's not all gloom in the world of powersports, and if you want to read about some recent positive news, click this link.
