TAYLOR, NY (607NewsNow) – An elected official awaits her day in Cortland County Court.

On October 27, the New York State Comptroller’s Office announced the arrest of Jaymie Closson, the Town of Taylor’s tax collector.

The 41-year-old is accused of stealing $18,463.12 in tax money from 2018 to 2023. According to the Comptroller’s Office, Taylor kept taxpayer penalties and interest payments due to the town for her own personal use. The investigation began after the Comptroller’s Office found irregularities in tax collections during a routine audit.

“Financial crime investigations present a specific challenge to public prosecutors in presenting accounting evidence in a clear and understandable fashion for factfinders without financial backgrounds,” said Cortland County District Attorney Patrick Perfetti. “The investigators of the Comptroller’s Office were outstanding professionals with whom to work. The Office of the District Attorney is committed to working with its state partners in enforcement actions to oppose corruption in public office.”

Closson, who has been tax collector since 2015, also allegedly falsified her own town taxes by marking them as paid when they were not. She faces charges of grand larceny and official misconduct.

Her next appearance is scheduled for November 25.