The Erie County District Attorney’s Office says 55-year-old Bonnie Bova of Lancaster has been sentenced to an indeterminate 2–8 years in prison for stealing more than $1.8 million from an Amherst medical practice.
Former bookkeeper sentenced to prison for stealing over $1.8 million from Amherst medical practice.
According to the DA, Bova took $1,830,779.56 while working as a bookkeeper for a medical practice in Amherst from September 2017 to October 2024. Bova used the practice’s checks to benefit herself and hid them by altering documents. She spent the stolen money on her credit card bills and other personal costs.
According to the DA, she was laid off in October 2024 after a corporate employee discovered the embezzlement during an audit. Bova neglected to report the pilfered funds as additional income on her income taxes between 2019 and 2023.
She entered a guilty plea to one count of presenting a fraudulent instrument to file and one count of first-degree grand larceny in July 2025.
Former bookkeeper pleads guilty to stealing more than $1.8 million from Amherst medical practice.
As part of the plea agreement, Bova signed a Confession of Judgment promising to pay the victim full reparation. The defense attorney delivered a check for $600,000, and Bova signed a Confession of Judgment pledging an extra $97,561 in restitution to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. On Wednesday, she paid an extra $3,500 in reparations.
“This case is the highest theft amount prosecuted by this office in recent years,” said Erie County DA Mike Keane. “The defendant funneled money from her employer into her own bank account, stealing more than $1.8 million dollars to fund her out of control spending habits. In addition to paying back a portion of restitution, I am pleased to announce that she pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge, which carries a mandatory state prison sentence. I hope that the victims can recover from this significant loss.”
