Former North Carolina Volunteer Fire Chief Charged with Embezzling $155,300

A erstwhile unpaid occurrence main successful North Carolina has been charged with embezzling astir $155,300 from his section by falsifying clip sheets.

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said successful a connection that Brian Jason Edwards, 49, of Granite Falls, was charged with embezzlement, forgery and obtaining spot by mendacious pretenses.

Edwards was occurrence main astatine Grace Chapel Volunteer Fire Department, northwest of Charlotte. From 2019 to 2023, helium allegedly padded his clip sheets, collecting acold much wage than helium had earned, officials said. Department of Insurance investigators worked with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office to bring the charges.

“Volunteer firefighters are dedicated nationalist servants who sacrifice a batch to support their community,” Causey said. “… these volunteers and members of the assemblage request to cognize that the occurrence department’s wealth is being spent wisely.”

Edwards was arrested Monday and his enslaved was acceptable astatine $50,000. He is scheduled for an archetypal tribunal quality today, Oct. 30.

A connection connected the occurrence department’s Facebook leafage indicates Edwards resigned from the section successful December 2023 and has not been affiliated since then.

“The committee of directors and existent administrative unit person worked with our section sheriff’s bureau and the North Carolina State Department of Insurance passim this investigation,” the connection notes. “We privation to punctual everyone that this (alleged embezzlement) successful nary mode represents the occurrence department’s nor our community’s quality and values. We person afloat rebounded from the events of these charges and basal acceptable to supply superior extortion to those whom we serve.”

Topics North Carolina