GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. - A Fulton County VFW has no choice but to close its doors for good after thousands of dollars were stolen.
After decades of serving Gloversville's veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars post is closed Friday, and vets are left searching for a new place to meet.
Inside VFW post 2077, the chairs are empty and its members, gone. The post officially shut down Wednesday night after a majority of its members voted to close the doors.
"We are all so sad and disappointed," said Kevin Jones, the current commander of the post.
Jones tells NEWS10 it all came down to having no money.
"We lost a tremendous amount of money in the theft."
That theft was committed by Ralph Vanalstyne, who plead guilty back in November 2011 to one count of Grand Larceny 2nd-Degree and two counts of Grand Larceny 3rd-Degree. A lengthy investigation revealed he stole almost $200,000 from three different veterans' organizations including the VFW in Gloversville.
"We are now more than $30,000 in the hole," said Jones.
Now members will have to travel nearly 10 miles to Broadalbin to visit the nearest VFW post, a problem for some since they depend on other drivers to take them from their home.
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