The former chief of a north Kingman-based rural fire district faces possible incarceration following conviction at trial in Mohave County Superior Court. The jury deliberated for about thirty minutes Friday before finding Wayne Eder, 55, guilty of conflict of interest, a class 6 felony.
Eder was interim chief and was an applicant to be hired as full time chief when he was involved in having a repair shop owned by governing board member Vic Riccardi attempt to fix a Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District (NACFD) brush truck in April, 2017. Authorities alleged Eder was trying to “grease the skids” with Riccardi to earn his board vote for promotion.
It was Riccardi’s swing vote that saw Eder promoted to chief in September, 2017 before his employment was terminated in May, 2018. Riccardi and former board member Sue Wilkin resolved their conflict of interest cases through plea agreements that resulted in resignations from their elected positions.
Wilkin has subsequently been re-elected to the NACFD board.
Eder’s attorney Lee Novak argued that his client was a victim of contentious politics and feuding factions in a tumultuous fire district and there were many prongs of the trial defense involving the invoice for $1,357 paid to Riccardi’s shop in Valle Vista for work on the NACFD brush truck. They included that Eder was authorized to spend up to $5,000 without board approval, that Riccardi didn’t profit because ownership of the shop had transferred to family members and that no conflict occurred anyway.
Investigator Lyman Watson testified that Riccardi indeed owned the shop at the time the brush truck came in for repair. Watson said Riccardi had begun the process of transferring the business but still owned it at the time in question.
Chief Deputy Mohave County attorney James Schoppmann told the jury that his bid to become Chief for a $95,000 salary motivated Eder’s criminal conduct. He said Eder’s fire service administrative experience, his Master’s degree and common sense should have made him realize it was illegal to award district business to Riccardi’s shop.
“I still believe I did nothing wrong Mr. Schoppmann,” Eder testified Thursday. “I thought I was acting within my authority as fire chief.”
In addition to the conviction, the jury found that Eder intentionally engaged in conflict of interest.
One of the criminal counts against Eder, a misuse of public monies charge, was dismissed before jury deliberations began. Judge Rick Lambert granted the defense request to dismiss that count when Schoppmann rested his case Wednesday, ruling that the state failed to meet its burden of proof.
Schoppmann said Eder will likely be placed on probation at his May 10 sentencing hearing and that other possible punishment provisions include county jail time, community work service and fines.
