Volunteer accused of defrauding Saratoga horse show

PHOTOGRAPHER: Lee Coleman

A city man was arrested on felony forgery and grand larceny charges Tuesday for allegedly stealing more than $33,000 from the St. Clement’s Horse Show by overcharging the volunteer organization for T-shirts and souvenirs.

Charles “Dewey” Walling, 56, of 63 Waterview Drive, was charged by city police with six counts each of second-degree forger and first-degree falsifying business records, as well as one count each of third-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheming to defraud.

His arrest on a warrant stemmed from an investigation police started in mid-July into thefts from the annual horse show, which benefits St. Clements Regional Catholic School at 231 Lake Ave. A member of the horse show’s finance committee reported his suspicions to police, leading to the investigation.

The horse show is held each spring on the grounds of Saratoga Race Course on Union Avenue. Police allege that Walling, who was also a horse show volunteer, stole $33,303.01 by overcharging the volunteer organization for T-shirts and souvenirs sold at the show between April 2005 and May 2011.

Walling, police said, would order shirts from Alpha Shirt Co. of Philadelphia, but submit falsified invoices for an amount larger than the actual cost, then keep the difference. For example, on April 29, 2009, Walling submitted a bill for $15,012 to the horse show finance committee from the Alpha Shirt Co., according to court records. Police said the bill had been forged and the dollar figure inflated from what the company actually charged for the merchandise.

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said Tuesday such an allegation of forgery and grand larceny is “particularly egregious when the theft comes from a charity, especially a church.”

Walling is represented by attorney James Knox of the E. Stewart Jones Law Firm in Troy.