Ierlan pleads guilty to grand larceny, admits to taking $62K
Former Clarendon official avoids jail in plea agreement, must pay restitution
File photo: Melissa Ierlan
ALBION – Melissa Ierlan pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree today in Orleans County Court, admitting to taking $62,000 without authorization from the Clarendon Historical Society when she was the group’s president.
Ierlan won’t have to go to jail, but will need to pay full restitution and will be on probation for five years as part of a plea agreement. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26 by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church.
The amount of funds missing from the Clarendon Historical Society was down from the $102,752 initially determined to be $102,752 by the state comptroller’s office. The comptroller’s office then lowered the amount to $70,000.
Ierlan was able to show how some of the funds were spent for the Historcial Society, said Susan Howard, the county’s district attorney.
Ierlan’s attorney George Muscato said the $62,000 “was a fair and reasonable number.”
Judge Church asked Ierlan, who was under oath this morning, if she stole money from the Clarendon Historical Society from Dec. 16, 2020 to Sept. 27, 2025. She replied yes.
She acknowledged she took actions to take the money out of the bank without authority.
Ierlan worked many years as the Clarendon code enforcement officer and cemetery administrator. She also has been president of the Clarendon Historical Society. In the Historical Society role she is alleged to have falsified records to steal $102,752.
The grand larceny charge as an E felony would carry a maximum of 4 years in state prison. The charge was reduced from a C felony where more than $50,000 is stolen and the maximum would be 15 years.
One issue during the plea deal this morning was whether the Historical Society agrees to the $62,000 in restitution. Howard said the historical society is currently reorganizing and doesn’t have people in place yet.
“I want to know whoever gets the restitution agrees to the amount,” the judge said.
Howard said the historical society “was pretty much just her,” she said referring to Ierlan.
Howard said the community is working to add members to the historical society and get the organization functioning.
“By sentencing I hope there will be a historical society properly in place,” she said.
The plea agreement today also included an order of protection for a witness who helped inform authorities of the missing funds.
The judge continued to let Ierlan be free without bail. She was joined at the court appearance today by her family, including husband Fred Seeman, who likely won the Republican primary for town supervisor on Tuesday. He has a 15-vote lead over Marc Major with 16 potential absentee ballots that could come in.
