A former treasurer of an Ontario County fire company was arrested for allegedly stealing over $100,000 from the company over a four-year period, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Ontario County District Attorney James Ritts, and Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione announced today. The defendant, Jill Havens, who served in the Citizens Hose Company in Shortsville, was charged with Grand Larceny.
“Jill Havens allegedly betrayed the trust of the fire company and her community by diverting funds meant to protect the residents of Shortsville and surrounding communities to fund her lifestyle,” DiNapoli said. “Unfortunately, despite our warnings of needed improvements in oversight, this is the second theft my office has found by this company’s officials in six years. Thanks to my partnership with District Attorney Ritts and Sheriff Cirencione, Havens will be held accountable for her actions.”
“At a time when budgets are stretched and our fire companies are doing everything they can to provide a most valuable service, the larceny of funds from the departments must be investigated and prosecuted," Ritts said. “This case is no different. The goal to hold people accountable and restore funding is important. I would like to thank the Ontario County Sheriff and The State Comptroller’s Office for their hard work and collaboration in this matter.”
“The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office takes the theft of public funds and those from non-profits very seriously,” Cirencione said. “This is the second case we have investigated this year resulting in the arrest of those entrusted with protecting such funds. We are disappointed to see such cases where one or two individuals undermine the trust of the public for their own personal gain. We commend those who came forward on this case and assure our community that we will continue to aggressively investigate any similar cases in the future and hold all perpetrators accountable as we have done today.”
Havens served as the fire company treasurer from 2018 through August 2022. Investigators found she used her position to issue unauthorized checks and make personal purchases with company funds, altering the fire company’s financial records to conceal her alleged crime. She used the money to pay off her credit cards, make retail purchases, and to pay for online video games.
The case was referred to DiNapoli’s Division of Investigations by the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and the Ontario County District Attorney’s Office after members of the company alerted them to the suspected theft.
Havens also served as the town clerk for the Town of Manchester during this time. An examination of her actions in that position is pending.
Haven’s predecessor at the hose company was convicted of grand larceny in 2019, after an investigation by DiNapoli found that she had embezzled over $24,000 in company funds. In 2020, the Comptroller issued an audit report recommending various measures to enhance internal controls at the company.
Havens was arraigned Wednesday evening on a charge of grand larceny in Centralized Arraignment Part by Justice Richard Whitesell. She is due back in court on Oct. 23.
The charges filed in this case are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at [email protected], or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.