Graveyard Robber Grossed $160,000: Putnam County DA

CARMEL, NY — A Pawling man stole more than $160,000 from the Raymond Hill Cemetery in Putnam County by getting paid for work he never did. A jury convicted Robert Bauer Monday of two counts of grand larceny, two counts of falsifying business records, and criminal possession of a forged instrument, county District Attorney Robert Tendy announced.

The superintendent at the cemetery between 2010 and 2015, Bauer submitted invoice after invoice for work he didn't do and supplies he didn't actually buy, prosecutors said. His invoices were either heavily padded or completely false. At least once, he forged an invoice from a vendor to back himself up.

Scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21, the 48-year-old faces 5-15 years in prison.

Tendy thanked the New York State Police and the New York Department of State, Division of Cemeteries for their assistance in the investigation. He would like to thank the members of the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Larry Glasser with significant assistance from Investigator Michael Benvie.

PHOTO/ Putnam County District Attorney's Office