Former Ulster County Finance Commissioner Burton Gulnick Jr. was sentenced to two years behind bars for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an area not-for-profit and additional money from an election campaign account, Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said Friday.

Gulnick pleaded guilty in October to two counts of grand larceny, a felony, following a lengthy investigation by the state police and his arrest in June 2023. The charges stem from money he stole from the Hurley Recreational Association, which provides summer activities and programs for children and families, Nneji said.

The investigation also revealed Gulnick stole thousands of dollars from a campaign bank account belonging to former Ulster County Executive Michael Hein, officials said. Gulnick used the stolen money for his personal use and manipulated accounting records in both instances to hide his criminal conduct, Nneji said. He added that Gulnick’s conduct was “most disappointing, especially given the public trust in him, and that he stole from children, particularly at a time when children were coming out of being homebound for a long time as a result of the pandemic.”

Gulnick paid restitution of $35,000 to the Hurley Rec and $15,000 to the Hein Campaign before sentencing, the district attorney said. Nneji said the plea and sentence do not relate to other matters under investigation by the state and county comptrollers.