Volunteer Theft, Suicide, and a Step Toward Justice in Virginia

Posted by: Curt Varone May 30, 2011 1 Comment

If you have been following this blog for very long, you know there have been a large number of theft cases in the volunteer service where a high ranking official (treasurer, president or fire chief) steals large sums of money from the organization.  None of these cases (and there are over 60 of them since 2008) are as strange and tragic as the one involving Jeffrey Lee Shifflett, the former fire chief of the Hardy Volunteer Fire Co., in Bedford County, Virginia.

On July 7, 2009, Shifflett, his wife Deborah, and his adult son Cory were charged with embezzling close to $250,000 from the Fire Company. On July 8, 2009, Shifflett committed suicide.

The criminal charges proceeded against Mrs. Shifflett and Cory Shifflett.  Another chapter in the ugly affair came to a close last week as Mrs. Shifflett entered a guilty plea in Bedford County Circuit Court.

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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