Subcontractor Pleads Guilty for Fraudulently Obtaining Nearly $173K in Pay From Employer

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that 47-year-old George Bonnes of Lancaster pleaded guilty this afternoon before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek to one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (Class "C" felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge.

Between September 2018 and September 2022, the defendant, while working as an information technology specialist subcontractor for a medical office in the Town of Amherst, submitted numerous falsified invoices to his employer. An internal audit by the medical office found that the defendant, over the course of four years, fraudulently obtained $172,954.95 in payments for work that he did not perform.

As part of his guilty plea today, Bonnes signed a Confession of Judgment to pay full restitution to the victim.

Bonnes faces a maximum of 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. He was released on his own recognizance.

Acting DA Keane commends the New York State Police for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Brian P. Dassero of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Bureau.