Candor mayor arrested, accused of stealing $23K from Village

VILLAGE OF CANDOR, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) — The New York State Troopers announced on Tuesday that Candor Mayor of 12 years, Eric Halstead, was arrested after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the village.

Halstead, 67, is accused of withdrawing $23,519 in cash from the Village of Candor account for his own personal use between February 2017 and May 2023, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

DiNapoli says Halstead replaced $19,302 of that money over time, but he still owes the rest to the Village.

According to DiNapoli, in March 2023, the Village of Candor hired a third-party consultant to help with annual reports. The consultant noticed Halstead had been making regular withdrawals from the village’s general fund that were recorded as either “ATM Withdrawal” or “Mayor’s Discretionary.”

Once the comptroller’s office was made aware, the investigation began and revealed Halstead owed the Village of Candor more than $4,000 from the funds he took.

Halstead was arrested on the charges of corrupting the government in the second degree as well as grand larceny in the third degree. After he was arrested, he was taken to the Tioga County Correctional Facility for arraignment.

He was then released and is scheduled for an appearance in Candor Town Court on August 5, 2024.

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