Former West Carthage treasurer charged with $3,000 theft

WEST CARTHAGE — Authorities are accusing the former deputy clerk-treasurer of the Village of West Carthage in Jefferson County of stealing more than $3,000 from the village. Kaytlin Ennis is charged with grand larceny in the third degree; corrupting the government in the third degree; and tampering with records, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, Jefferson County District Attorney Kristyna Mills, and New York State (NYS) Police Superintendent Steven James announced Feb. 13. Ennis was arraigned Feb. 12 before Judge Mary Doheny in Watertown City Court, per the announcement. “Public corruption corrodes people’s faith in government,” DiNapoli said. “Ms. Ennis allegedly betrayed her community’s trust and now will be held accountable. My thanks to District Attorney Mills and the State Police for their partnership in ensuring justice is served in this case.” “We are grateful to the Office of the New York State Comptroller, operating in conjunction with the New York State Police, for their hard work to bring this fraud to light,” Mills said in the DiNapoli announcement. “It is important to public trust to know that their hard earned money is not being squandered. We will work to ensure that justice prevails in this case.”

Case background

Ennis began working for West Carthage in October 2018 as deputy clerk-treasurer and was appointed treasurer in January 2021 after the village’s long-time treasurer retired. At the same time, she also worked as the village’s water clerk. The village board did not reappoint her as treasurer for 2024 “because of poor performance,” DiNapoli’s office said. When discrepancies in West Carthage’s payroll were uncovered during an audit by DiNapoli’s office last year, the comptroller launched an investigation and partnered with the State Police. The investigation found that Ennis took advantage of the lack of board oversight and overpaid herself once appointed village treasurer. She allegedly falsified time sheets and issued herself additional paychecks, per DiNapoli’s office. “The arrest of Ms. Ennis sends a strong message that we will not tolerate dishonest actions by those who use their position at the expense of the public” James said. “This former treasurer allegedly took money from the village to support her own lifestyle. We will not tolerate any type of financial illegal behavior or abuse of power. I applaud the work of our State Police members assigned to this case and the State Comptroller’s Office for their support in conducting this arrest.”