Ierlan arriving at the Orleans County Court facility on Wednesday morning/VNS photo
A long time Code Enforcement/Building Inspector for the Town of Clarendon and the Town of Byron appeared in court today in Orleans County.
Melissa Ierlan, 59, of Holley, NY was charged with grand larceny 2nd degree/property value exceeds $50,000, a class C felony, and falsifying business records, a class E felony, after being arrested on December 30, 2025 by State Police.
Appearing in front of Judge Sanford Church, who was acting as a Town of Clarendon Judge, as the Town of Clarendon judge recused themselves from the case, Ierlan’s attorney George V.C. Muscato waived the felony hearing at the town level.
Orleans County First Assistant District Attorney, Daniel Punch then made a plea offer in the case, offering Ierlan a deal to plead guilty to the charge of grand larceny 4th degree, a class E felony, and agreeing to a sentencing cap that includes no jail time and restitution in the amount on $102,752 as part of the plea. If Ierlan accepts the deal, she waives her right to appeal.
“In these types of cases there is a lot of accounting that goes on and we need to review that. It’s called due diligence, that’s what we’re doing. We’re doing our responsibility to Melissa to determine the amount of money and her actions,” says Muscato.
There is no future court date set in the matter and there is no date for acceptance of the plea deal. If there is no acceptance of the plea deal, the case will go before and Orleans County Grand Jury.
According to the felony complaint, between December 16, 2020, and September 27, 2025, Ierlan, acting as President and Financial Controller of the Clarendon Historical Society, allegedly stole more than $50,000 in Society funds which was allegedly used for personal gain.
Additionally, in 2023, Ierlan allegedly falsified meeting minutes in order to collect a $102,752 life insurance policy from a deceased community member, part of which was allegedly used for personal gain. The larceny amount was calculated as a result of a forensic audit conducted by the Office of the State Comptroller.
Regardless what she has done I still believe Melissa is a sweet lady! She helped tremendously when I lost my son & then my infant twin grandson Thoughts are with you
She should face jail time if it was anybody else we would be going to jail she new what she was doing
I agree with you! She’s a grown a** woman and she should get jail time for as long as she’s been doing this. you reap what you sew.
Melissa has done so much good for our community, it’s too bad she will probably only be remembered as doing wrong. I believe in her and still count her as a friend. My prayers are with you Melissa.
She steals 100 grand and people are treating it like she stole a candy bar. “Nice Lady” is a thief.
Yup but we are dealing with a hillbilly heaven county
I’m sorry, but “she’s such a nice lady” is not a defense to felony-level misconduct.
According to the reporting, this case involves allegations of stealing more than **$50,000** from the Clarendon Historical Society and falsifying records tied to a **$102,752** life insurance payout. And now the plea offer reportedly reduces that to a lower charge with **no jail time** if restitution is paid.
That is exactly why people lose faith in small-town systems.
If an ordinary person without connections, status, or community goodwill were accused of this kind of conduct, does anyone honestly believe the conversation would be this gentle?
Doing nice things in town does not cancel out abuse of trust.
Volunteering does not erase alleged theft.
Being familiar does not make someone accountable.
The issue is not whether she ever did good things.
The issue is whether justice is being applied equally when the accused is someone the town knows and likes.
She made a plan and executed it successfully! She played all of you like an orchestra! And you called her back for encores!
She deserves to go to jail she,s a fricken crook if it was anyone else they would be in jail already wtf lock her up she Shure played you fools
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