Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office’s Tom Rankin, Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel, and Department of Mental Hygiene & Social Services Commissioner Carmelo Hernandez discuss indictment of County Employee accused of stealing welfare benefits (August 12, 2026)
A Chautauqua County employee has been indicted by a Grand Jury for stealing welfare funds.
A Chautauqua County Grand Jury indicted 38-year old Amber Tibbetts of Jamestown with six counts of 1st Degree Tampering with Public Records, four counts of 2nd Degree Forgery, six counts of 2nd Degree Identity Theft, three counts of Petit Larceny and one count of 4th Degree Corrupting the Government after allegedly using her position within the Department of Social Services to fraudulently obtain temporary assistance funds from the County.
The Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office allege that Tibbetts, who is a clerk, used existing Social Service clients’ information to issue benefit cards directly to herself. The investigation was initiated after two of the victims contacted Social Services to report suspicious activity on their benefits card. Following the reports, the Program Integrity Unit immediately began investigating and quickly involved the Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office.
County officials said a second employee, who is a senior caseworker, also was allegedly involved in the benefits theft and has been charged with welfare fraud. Officials declined to release that employee’s name during a press conference.
County Executive PJ Wendel apologized to the community for the alleged actions of the employees during that press conference, “They took advantage of our most vulnerable population, and it’s very unfortunate. But I want the community to be rest assured that our PIU (Public Integrity Unit) is here, it’s working, it works day in and day out. If something is fraudulent, they will take action. They will listen to reports and investigate. If there’s no claim, if there’s no nothing found, they’ll do that as well, but again, we want to make sure that people are aware that the system was engaged.”
Tibbetts was arraigned by County Court Judge David Foley on August 5 and pled not guilty. The next court date is September 9 for a Discovery Conference.
Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services Commissioner Carmelo Hernandez urged anyone suspecting fraud with their benefits to call DSS office immediately to file a report. The Chautauqua County Department of Social Services can be reached at 716-661-8200, with there being offices located in Dunkirk, Jamestown, and Mayville.
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