Albany County employee sentenced for stealing funds

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 )– A former Albany County employee was sentenced to two years of probation and 180 days of home confinement after stealing government money. John Cox, 62, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and stealing money from the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.

In January, Cox admitted to stealing $122,251.25 between June 2017 and February 2023 while he was employed by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office as a budget analyst. He issued 16 fraudulent checks from the sheriff’s office which received more than $10,000 in federal funding during the time of his crime.

Police said Cox falsified the sheriff’s office records to make the funds appear as if they were used for vehicles and equipment. He then used the checks to pay down his line of credit and pay himself directly.

Some of the stolen funds were from a Department of Justice program that gives forfeited assets to local and state law enforcement. Cox was ordered to pay $122,251.25 in restitution to the sheriff’s office and a $5,500 fine.

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