Silver Lake Daily Newsletter.com

Ashcraft pleads guilty to stealing more than $100,000 from the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism

• By MATT SURTEL, msurtel@batavianews.com
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Kelly Ashcraft

A former employee is facing up to 15 years in prison after admitting she stole more than $100,000 from the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.

Kelly Ashcraft, 45, appeared Thursday in Wyoming County Court. She pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, second-degree forgery, and first-degree falsifying business records.

Ashcraft admitted she stole $105,024.78 from the agency, forged the signature of another employee, and failed to make entries in the Chamber’s business records as her duties required. 

She has agreed to make restitution and no promises were made regarding her sentence, said District Attorney Donald O’Geen in a news release. Sentencing has been set for June 9.

Ashcraft was arrested in January after an investigation by Warsaw village police revealed she had been stealing Chamber funds since 2018. She’s a well-known and familiar face in Warsaw and the surrounding community. 

Ashcraft was hired by the Chamber in 2010 and was most recently serving as its member services coordinator. She had an active and highly-visible role in community events and business functions.

Among other duties, she was present at and helped coordinate multiple ribbon cuttings at businesses throughout the county over the years. She also issued online updates to Chamber members and generally helped coordinate their participation in its programming. 

Ashcraft was honored in 2019 by the Greater Warsaw Chamber of Commerce‚ a separate organization, with the Alan B. Goodenow Memorial Award for Citizen of the Year. The award is presented annually to a person who has shown outstanding commitment and service to the Warsaw community.