By Kat Leslie
NEWBURGH, N.Y. — A once-celebrated local advocate who claimed to be a wounded war hero was sentenced last week in federal court, closing a case that began with headlines and ended with handcuffs.
On Sept. 30, Sharon Toney-Finch, 43, formerly of Newburgh, received 12 months and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty in March to wire fraud and stolen valor offenses. She was ordered to pay $84,000 in restitution, forfeit $85,000, and serve three years of supervised release.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Judge Vincent Briccetti in White Plains, capped a years-long unraveling of Toney-Finch’s public persona. An Army veteran, she founded the Yerik Israel Toney (YIT) Foundation and built a profile across the Hudson Valley by telling audiences she’d been wounded by an improvised explosive device in Iraq and had been awarded a Purple Heart. She appeared at fundraisers from Newburgh to Middletown, posed for photos with officials, and spoke about helping homeless veterans and premature infants.
Investigators later found that the story didn’t match the records. Army documents showed no Purple Heart and no combat wound. In 2021, Toney-Finch submitted altered discharge papers to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, where she was briefly recognized alongside decorated service members. Prosecutors said that while donors believed they were supporting veterans’ services and infant care, roughly $85,000 raised through the foundation paid for personal expenses, including a vehicle, travel, dining, and a gym membership.
Public doubts sharpened in May 2023, when Toney-Finch claimed that veterans staying at a Newburgh-area hotel had been displaced to make room for migrants sent from New York City. The allegation ricocheted through state politics and national media, prompting donations and calls to action.
Albany moved quickly, introducing a bill to block any veteran “evictions.” But as the story drew national glare, it unraveled: local reporting and subsequent inquiries found no evidence of a mass displacement; hotel managers reported no record of the supposed guests, and VA officials said they’d never worked with the charity. Within days, Assemblyman Brian Maher said Toney-Finch admitted the tale was fabricated—and he called for a full investigation that helped set the fraud case in motion.
The episode drew intensified scrutiny from law enforcement and contributed to the federal case.
In court, Judge Briccetti condemned the conduct as “appalling” and disrespectful to veterans who have actually borne the costs of war. Toney-Finch’s attorney did not dispute the sentence’s terms, and no cause for appeal was announced in court.
The case has resonated in communities across Orange County, where veterans’ parades and service projects remain fixtures of local life. The Hall of Honor — a short drive from Warwick — has long served as a place where families gather to quietly recognize genuine sacrifice. For many residents, the fraud felt as much like a breach of trust as a financial crime.
With the sentencing complete, federal supervision and financial penalties remain ahead for Toney-Finch, and authorities have indicated that review of related matters connected to the foundation will continue. Local veterans’ advocates say the outcome is a reminder to verify credentials and check a charity’s status before giving — and a reassurance that, in the Hudson Valley, truth still has a way of catching up.
