The former Chief of a politically volatile north Kingman fire district will be sentenced Friday following his April jury trial conflict of interest conviction. Wayne Eder, 55, is expected to be placed on probation, but prosecutor James Schoppmann is asking that he be sent to jail as well.
Eder was serving as interim chief of the Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District (NACFD) and was an applicant for promotion to chief when he awarded district business to a company owned by Victor Riccardi, a board member who subsequently voted in favor of Eder’s promotion. Schoppmann argued Eder was “greasing the skids” for Riccardi’s promotion vote when he sent a fire truck to Riccardi’s auto shop for repair in September, 2017.
Eder has never denied the events in question but has insisted he was working in the best interest of the district, that there was no intent of bribery and that he broke no law.
“Eder’s cavalier attitude about his conduct, the crime and his failure to take any responsibility should not be ignored by the Court,” Schoppmann wrote in his sentencing memorandum. “Eder’s conduct was a disgrace to the public, to NACFD #1 and to the firefighters in Mohave County and other members of the fire service profession.”
Novak has offered the Court his own sentencing memorandum, dozens of pages including Eder’s many degrees, awards , honors, letters of appreciation documents demonstrating his grant writing prowess.
“Wayne Eder has had a long and distinguished career in the Fire Service industry, going back to the early 1980’s when he became a firefighter with the Riverside County Fire Department,” Novak’s memorandum said. It also noted many years of teaching classes helping other firefighters learn the trade.
Novak said Eder has been working as a middle school teacher for the past year. He is asking Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert to leave the offense undesignated at sentencing, giving Eder a chance to complete probation to earn a misdemeanor, rather than a felony conviction.
“We believe that he has earned that right, with an entire career dedicated to public service, and this offense being the only blemish on his record,” Novak stated.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
