A Lancaster woman will serve the next two and two-thirds to eight years in prison, after admitting to stealing a large sum money from her employer over a seven-year period, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Bonnie Bova, 55, was sentenced by Erie County Couty Judge Kenneth Case, months after pleading guilty to one count of first-degree grand larceny, and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.
Investigators say between September 2017 and October 2024, Bova stole more than $1.8 million while working as a bookkeeper for a medical practice in the Town of Amherst, issuing checks from the practice to herself, then using the embezzled funds to pay off her credit cards and personal expenses. She concealed her activities by altering computer records to indicate the payments were made to a legitimate vendor.
In October 2024, Bova’s activity was discovered when a fellow employee noticed a discrepancy with a check and initiated an internal audit. Bova was fired by her employer.
The DA states Bova also failed to disclose the stolen money as additional income on her personal income taxes between 2019 and 2023.
As part of her plea deal, Bova has agreed to pay full restitution. At the time of her guilty plea, Bova’s defense attorney submitted a check to pay back $600,000 to her former employer. On Wednesday morning, she paid an additional $3,500 in restitution.
Bova also signed a Confession of Judgment, agreeing to pay an additional $97,561 in restitution to the New Yok State Department of Taxation and Finance.