Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County District Attorney John Flynn Tuesday detailed felony charges leveled against a former Erie County worker who is accused of stealing nearly $50,000 from unsuspecting clients while she was employed in the county social services adult protection unit.
Flynn says Tamara Ebo, 44, of Buffalo pleaded guilty to grand larceny, scheme to defraud and misconduct charges stemming from the theft of $48,767 from fourteen clients.
"Ebo was falsifying invoices, falsifying vendor transactions and directing the payments go to herself," said Flynn. Flynn detailed an elaborate scheme in which Ebo arranged for graphic work at a dance company she owned and funded the work directly from funds transacted from a county client to the vendor.
Ebo faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for the criminal actions.
In a separate case, Flynn also announced another former Erie County employee is charged in connection with illegally sharing confidential information to a friend on multiple occasions. Nicole Wichlacz, 31, of Buffalo pleaded guilty to a misconduct charge stemming from the criminal activities that took place during her employment as a clerk typist in the Erie County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services unit.
Flynn says he fears more of these cases will emerge with the influx of federal stimulus funds now in the hands of thousands of county residents. Federal law enforcement agencies are seeking assistance from the Erie County DA's office to prosecute an uptick of white collar crime cases that fall below the $50,000 federal threshold and Flynn has agreed to do so.
"Hopefully, this, what I'm doing today, is a deterrent," said Flynn when asked how future crimes can be avoided.
Flynn is appealing to families of vulnerable recipients of public services to be diligent in keeping track of their loved ones' finances and bring anything questionable to the attention of law enforcement.
