Former Buffalo Employee Sentenced For Theft Of Government Funds

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051
 
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Tasha Collier, 39, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of theft and conversion concerning programs receiving federal funds, was sentenced to three years probation and directed to make restitution to the City of Buffalo in the amount of $22,292.50 by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci, Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Guerra, who handled the case, stated that the defendant was employed as a clerk in the Licensing Department of the City of Buffalo between July 2013 and August 25, 2014. As part of her duties as a clerk, Collier was responsible for collecting payments in cash and by check for licenses issued by the City of Buffalo. Between September 2013 and August 2014, the defendant stole approximately $22,000 in cash, funds that were supposed to be remitted to the City Treasury Department.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda.