Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that the man who stole $40,229 from Albany Rural Cemetery has been sentenced to state prison after failing to pay restitution in a timely manner and absconding from Court.

David Eslinger, 60, was sentenced by the Honorable Roger McDonough on Friday to serve two to six years in state prison and pay full restitution to the cemetery upon his release.

Eslinger, the former general manager at the cemetery, pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025, to Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and Identity Theft in the First Degree after an investigation revealed that the Fort Edward man was issuing extra paychecks to himself and using the organization’s credit card to pay for gas, meals and trips to Las Vegas, Walt Disney World, and gentlemen’s clubs in New York City.

The plea agreement placed Eslinger on interim probation for a period of one year so he could pay at least $20,000 of the restitution owed back to the cemetery in exchange for an additional four-year probation period to pay the remaining sum. He was ordered to appear again before the Court on May 29 for a review of his progress.

But Eslinger, having only paid $12,000, failed to appear, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

In the days after, an investigation by members of the Albany County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIU) determined that Eslinger had absconded to a Glens Falls apartment. On June 16, the defendant was taken into custody on the warrant by the Glens Falls Police Department and turned over to Colonie Police.

Michael Barrett, a board member of the Albany Rural Cemetery, spoke before sentencing and detailed how Eslinger’s actions have devastated the finances of the Albany Cemetery Association.

David Quinn, the former manager of the cemetery and current Board of Trustees member, also spoke about how the theft not only affected the cemetery but also his personal finances, as one of the business credit cards used was in his name. Eslinger's actions resulted in his credit score being ruined.

“With loss of principle, there is loss of income,” Quinn said. “With loss of income, we are down staffing. With the lack of staffing, the cemetery cannot efficiently operate to fulfill the needs of grieving families in their time of need. All of this is directly caused by Eslinger’s devious and blatant, fraudulent activities.”

On Friday, Eslinger claimed he was remorseful and told the Court that he would pay the remaining sum if he was allowed to remain at liberty, but Judge McDonough stated that “his words rang hollow.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Beven Nedumthakady of the Major Crimes Bureau.