Mark Woods, former Dunkirk city treasurer, had served in the position since the late 1990s until December.

A man city voters put in charge of enormous amounts of Dunkirk’s finances for more than two decades has been charged in the theft of more than $120,000.

On Friday afternoon, state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt dropped the bombshell of the indictment and arrest of Mark Woods for public corruption, grand larceny and falsifying city records. Woods served as an elected city treasurer, a post that was abolished by voters in the last election.

“As Dunkirk’s severe financial troubles escalated, Mr. Woods allegedly betrayed his community and public duty by allegedly scheming to steal over $120,000 in public money he was sworn to safeguard,” DiNapoli said. “Any abuse of office by a public official is intolerable, but to steal public funds while resident taxes rise to cover financial shortfalls is particularly appalling. Thanks to my partnership with District Attorney Schmidt, he will now be held accountable for his reprehensible conduct.”

Woods’ arrest comes more than 20 months after the city fell into a major fiscal crisis that led to New York state bailing out the municipality with more than $13.7 million in loans. In addition, Dunkirk city taxpayers were dealt an 84% property tax increase in 2025 due to the financial instability.

“The indictment unsealed earlier today is our second aimed at recovering monies which we allege were stolen from the city by public officials entrusted with the hard-earned tax dollars of its residents, many of whom are retired blue collar workers who supported our local factories and manufacturing plants through tough economic times, bought their first and only homes here, raised their families here, and retired here where they continue to live and support Dunkirk,” Schmidt said. “They are the backbone of our community, people on fixed incomes barely scraping by who ask nothing more of their elected and appointed officials than to competently and honestly do the jobs they were hired to do.”

As treasurer, Woods was responsible for collecting and recording monies paid to the city and remitting funds to entities such as the Dunkirk School District. In March, school district officials observed irregularities in payments and that Woods deposited non-school tax payments, checks for water, sewer and other taxes, into the district’s accounts and had been for months. The school district contacted Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz who referred the matter to District Attorney Schmidt, who then partnered with State Comptroller DiNapoli’s office to investigate the matter.

“My office’s reforms were the direct catalyst for uncovering suspected criminal activity within the Treasurer’s office,” Wdowiasz said. “By requiring shared access to financial records, enforcing multi-layered review, and rejecting outdated practices, my administration exposed irregularities that had previously been concealed. These findings were immediately referred to the appropriate authorities, leading to the investigation, indictment, and arrest of Mr. Woods.”

During that March discovery, the treasurer’s office was closed for an investigation. Dunkirk Police reported on their Facebook page that it was due to “the direction of the State Comptroller’s Office, the Dunkirk Police Department and the Mayor’s Office assisted the District Attorney’s Office in the execution of a Grand Jury subpoena directing the City of Dunkirk Treasurer’s Office be secured. All further inquiries will be directed to the State Comptroller’s Office.”

Caution tape and a closed sign was placed on the door to the office at the time.

In a joint statement, state Sen. George Borrello of Sunset Bay and Assemblyman Andrew Molitor of Westfield called the charges “deeply troubling and profoundly disappointing.”

“This latest revelation only reinforces the fact that Dunkirk’s problems are not isolated or incidental. They are deep-rooted and systemic,” Borrello and Molitor said. “The city’s finances are in disarray, and a lack of effective oversight and internal controls has allowed mismanagement and, allegedly, criminal conduct to fester for far too long.”

In speaking to the charges, both reiterated the call for a state financial control board. “Dunkirk needs strong, independent oversight to restore order, rebuild trust, and finally put the city on a path toward stability and long-term solvency,” they said. “The people and taxpayers of Dunkirk deserve nothing less.”

Woods was arraigned on charges of second-degree grand larceny, first-degree corrupting the government, and 12 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree in Chautauqua County Supreme Court before Supreme Court Justice Grace M. Hanlon.

DiNapoli and Schmidt thank Dunkirk Police Chief Christopher Witkowski for his department’s assistance in this matter and Wdowiasz for her cooperation and prompt reporting of the school district’s observations.

In May 2023, another joint investigation between the state Comptroller and District Attorney resulted in the indictment and arrest of the former city of Dunkirk Festivals Coordinator Hector Rosas for abusing his position to steal more than $50,000. That case is currently pending.