Former Ulster County Finance Commissioner Burton Gulnick, Jr., pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an area not-for-profit and additional money from an election campaign account, Ulster County District Attorney David Clegg said.
Gulnick pleaded guilty to two counts of grand larceny, a felony, and faces a prison sentence of one to three years when he is sentenced Jan. 19, Clegg said.
Clegg said the plea requires Gulnick to pay $35,000 in restitution to the Hurley Recreation Center, where Gulnick served as treasurer, and $15,000 to the campaign of former Ulster County Executive Michael Hein.
“Gulnick’s conduct is most disappointing, especially given the public trust in him, and that he stole from an organization dedicated to children, particularly at a time when children were coming out of being homebound for a lengthy period of time as a result of the pandemic,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said in a statement.
The DA’s investigation pertained to crimes Gulnick committed in volunteer roles, not in his previous position as finance commissioner, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said. The state comptroller is conducting an audit of county finances, she said.
Gulnick was arrested in June 2023 and charged with felonies in connection with theft from the Hurley Recreation Center, which lost over $95,000, Clegg said.
During its investigation, state police determined Gulnick also stole thousands of dollars from an election campaign bank account belonging to Hein, the district attorney said.