Hamburg man gets probation for stealing over $300K from dead relative's estate

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Hamburg man was given five years of probation for stealing more than $300,000 from a deceased relative's estate for a period of nearly seven years, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said Friday.

Craig Arno, 63, stole a total of $342,036 from the relative's estate between September 2016 and August 2023. Arno was the executor of the relative's will and put the money into his personal bank account rather than donating it to local charities.

Arno also did not report the stolen money on his personal income tax returns.

He pleaded guilty in July to one count of second-degree grand larceny and one count of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

As a condition of the sentence, he is required to pay the full amount in restitution. He paid $8,000 worth of restitution on Friday.