Theft in the Volunteer Fire Service

The attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has taken the drastic step of suing three emergency service organizations and their officers in an effort to seek an accounting of public and charitable funds and property. Named as defendants in ...

Read More »

Two volunteer fire departments from Virginia are in the news today, both victims of insider theft by high ranking officials. In Louisa County, fire chief Mark McGheen of the Trevilans Volunteer Fire Department stands accused of embezzling thousands of dollars ...

Read More »

The former treasurer of a South Dakota volunteer fire department stands accused of stealing $170,000. Denae Baustian, 46, of the Tea Fire Department in Lincoln County, was indicted last week by a grand jury on felony theft charges. The theft ...

Read More »

Another headline about theft in the volunteer fire service… this time in Pennsylvania … $74k

Read More »

A Texas fire chief, his mother, and his sister have been arrested and charged with embezzling approximately $40,000 from the Iola Volunteer Fire Department.  Fire Chief Earl Sword, his mother Wanda Sword (an accountant of the fire department)  and his ...

Read More »

We have covered a number of stories about theft in the volunteer fire service, but here’s a new one: a West Virginia mayor was charged with embezzling funds from the local volunteer fire department. Grant Town Mayor Robert Dale Riggs  ...

Read More »

An Alabama volunteer firefighter is facing felony theft charges after stealing approximately $2,000 in donated funds his fire company had raised for breast cancer research. Phillip Jones, 34, of the Tallassee Volunteer Fire Department has allegedly admitted to stealing the ...

Read More »

An Ohio volunteer fire lieutenant and a mechanic have been indicted and charged with operating a $180,000 fire apparatus parts scam. Milton Township Volunteer Fire Department lieutenant Phillip Bruss and mechanic Dale Butter were charged with theft and receiving stolen ...

Read More »

There have been a number of fire service embezzlement cases that have been covered in this blog the past few years. Most involve the theft of large sums from volunteer fire companies by trusted officials. A few involve thefts by elected ...

Read More »

Two New York cases are in the news today, both of which raise the same frustrated response: not again! In Charlton, New York, the treasurer of a volunteer fire department is accused of stealing between $400,000 and $500,000. Virginia DeCapria, ...

Read More »

Its only been a week, but there’s been yet another case of theft in the volunteer fire service – this time in northwest New York state. Robert Kawski, president of the Chautauqua County Fireman’s Fraternity, has been charged with grand ...

Read More »

There has been another case of theft in the volunteer fire service, this time in West Virginia, and this time to the tune of $242,269.15. Stephen Wilson, 61, the treasurer of the Short Gap Volunteer Fire Department was arrested last ...

Read More »

An inactive volunteer firefighter who was battling lung cancer has been sentenced to 35 days in prison for the theft of $8,900 worth of fuel. Cathlamet, Washington Fire Department firefighter Karl V. Moody, 52, and his wife Lisa R. Moody, ...

Read More »

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 ...

Read More »