Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
A Newburgh woman who made national headlines for false claims about supporting homeless veterans has been sentenced to just over a year in prison. Sharon Toney-Finch, founder of the Yerik Israel Toney Foundation (YIT Foundation), received a sentence of 12 months and one day from U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti after pleading guilty to wire fraud and stolen valor offenses earlier this year.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commented on the case: “Sharon Toney-Finch falsely claimed to be a Purple Heart recipient and used her foundation to defraud donors and others induced by that lie. Let today’s sentence reaffirm that fraud built on lies about service and sacrifice will carry a heavy price.”
Toney-Finch, an Army veteran who was honorably discharged but never awarded a Purple Heart, established the YIT Foundation as a registered charity in Sullivan County. The organization stated its mission was to raise awareness about premature births and provide assistance to families with infants in neonatal intensive care units, as well as help homeless and low-income military veterans.
However, authorities found that the foundation did little to assist veterans or families in need. Instead, most donations—amounting to approximately $85,000—were spent by Toney-Finch on personal expenses such as payments for her BMW, gym membership, travel, meals, and other costs unrelated to charitable work.
In June 2022, she convinced a local foundation focused on helping veterans and vulnerable groups to donate $10,000 under the pretense of building housing for homeless veterans. This money was not used for its intended purpose but rather went toward her luxury vehicle and personal spending at bars, restaurants, and gyms.
Toney-Finch also attracted national attention in May 2023 when she told media outlets that her foundation had been assisting numerous homeless veterans evicted from a Newburgh hotel to make room for migrants arriving from New York City. Her claims led at least one donor to send $25,000 to the YIT Foundation; investigators later determined these statements were untrue.
She repeatedly misrepresented herself as a decorated war hero during fundraising efforts—including submitting falsified military discharge documents showing she had received a Purple Heart medal—and participated in public events honoring recipients of military awards. On one occasion in July 2022, she appeared on a video podcast claiming she was “a Purple Heart and Valor Award recipient” while telling an invented story about surviving an improvised explosive device attack in Iraq.
In addition to her prison term, Toney-Finch was ordered three years of supervised release along with restitution payments totaling $84,000 and forfeiture of $85,000.
U.S. Attorney Clayton acknowledged several agencies involved in investigating the case: the Federal Bureau of Investigation Hudson Valley White Collar Crime Task Force; Orange County District Attorney’s Office; Orange County Sheriff’s Office; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General; and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan W. Allison and Margaret N. Vasu from the White Plains Division.
