Ohio Firefighter Indicted for Stealing $1.5 Million From Fire Department

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Posted by: cvarone 3 days ago 0 Comments

The president of a volunteer fire company in Ohio has been arrested and accused of stealing as much as $1.5 million from his department.

Adam L. Siddle, who served as president of the Washington Township Fire Department, was indicted last week by a Muskingum County grand jury on 16 theft-related charges related. Police believe the funds were stolen over a five year period from April 19, 2009 and Sept. 29, 2014.

Siddle stands accused of:

two counts of theft, second-degree felonies,
nine counts of telecommunications fraud, second-degree felonies,
one count of money laundering, a third-degree felony,
one count of forgery, a fourth-degree felony, and
three counts of forgery, fifth-degree felonies.

Police are not disclosing the details of how the thefts were perpetrated but the indictment indicated that over $60,000 worth of the funds were written on fire department checks that Siddle forged to his business, Siddle Transport Inc.

Siddle was also an assistant chief with Washington Township and had joined the department in 2004. The Times Recorder reports that Siddle remains in custody, unable to make $500,000 bond.

More on the story, including video news coverage.

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Curt Varone has over 41 years of fire service experience and 29 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) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.