Pink Collar Theft From NC Fire Department

Posted by: Curt Varone January 23, 2018 0

The treasurer of a volunteer fire department in North Carolina has been charged with three counts on embezzlement. Linda Gibson, 72, stands accused to stealing $12,000 from the Stella Volunteer Fire Department.

Gibson reportedly used the department’s ATM cards to collect cash and pay personal bills between April 2014 and September 2016. She also submitted altered and fake invoices to cover up checks she had written, endorsed, and cashed. Prior to her arrest, she had been the department’s treasurer for the past 20 years.

More on the story.

Two weeks ago I did a podcast with Kelly Paxton on the issue of Pink Collar Theft. The amount of thievery from women is startling and in many respects hard to comprehend. However, as this case shows: the problem is real. My data suggests that roughly 1 in 3 cases of theft in the volunteer fire service is Pink Collar Theft.

Here is the link to the podcast.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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