A Kenyan man is set to face time in prison in the United States after admitting to stealing more than $400,000 (about Ksh.52 million) in taxpayer funds while working as a state auditor in New York.
Tobias Otieno, 41, a former employee of the New York State Comptroller’s Office, pleaded guilty in a New York court to second-degree grand larceny.
Prosecutors say Otieno stole $405,843 from the Town of Wallkill in Orange County between 2022 and 2024. At the time, he had been assigned as a state auditor to review the town’s finances.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Otieno exploited his access to Wallkill’s bank accounts and financial records to transfer funds from municipal accounts into personal business accounts he controlled.
Authorities described the operation as “a very highly sophisticated and complex scheme,” alleging that Otieno laundered the stolen money through multiple shell companies and other mechanisms to conceal the transactions.
Otieno, who reportedly earned approximately $75,000 (Ksh.9.6 million) a year in his role, has been dismissed from his position. He faces between four and 12 years in state prison with the sentencing for June.
