The president of the Monterey Volunteer Fire Department and her daughter have been indicted on charges they stole more than $20,000 from the department, according to the state comptroller’s office.
Kelly S. Groves, 49, and Kali Horton, 27, both of Beaver Dams, were charged with third-degree grand larceny and official misconduct. They were arraigned in Schuyler County court, the comptroller’s office said.
Investigators allege Groves withdrew cash from the department’s bank account and used its debit card for personal purchases between September 2018 and December 2022. They also found that no cash collected from fundraisers or member dues was deposited into department accounts from 2019 through 2021, according to the comptroller’s office.
Groves served as the department’s president and interim treasurer during the period under investigation. Horton was its secretary and collected fundraiser money that was not deposited, investigators said. The comptroller’s office opened the investigation after receiving a complaint about Groves’ handling of department funds and worked with the New York State Police Financial Crimes Unit.
The department was the subject of an earlier embezzlement case. In 2013, former fire chief Larry States and his wife, former treasurer Kimberly States, were convicted of stealing more than $100,000 from it.
Groves and Horton are due back in court Oct. 22. The charges against them are allegations; neither has been convicted in this case.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.