A firefighter accused of stealing roughly $24,000 from the rural Mohave County fire district that formerly employed him pleaded guilty to theft Wednesday. A fraud charge is dismissed through the agreement entered for Phillip Picard, 32.
Terms of the misdemeanor conviction deal protect Picard from prison, unless he violates supervised probation. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Rick Lambert can impose up to a 30-day county jail term at a Nov. 16 sentencing hearing.
Discovery of payroll anomalies by Administrative Assistant Karen Jackson at the Dolan Springs-based Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District (LMRFD) prompted a Mohave County Sheriff’s Office investigation beginning in June 2018. Work and hours claimed were in question.
Picard wrote fire district governing board members, expressing surprise that numerous time sheets had been submitted for dates and hours he did not work.
“I informed Chief Demaio (Tony) and Karen that I want to make this right with the district and reimburse whatever overpayment has been made,” Picard’s letter said, according to Bauer’s report. “From the bottom of my heart I would never purposefully steal from the fire district and only want to make it right by paying all wages that were incorrectly paid to me.”
The district was fully reimbursed roughly 2 1/2-years ago, before its governing board Chairman expressed desired prosecution. Picard’s move out of state delayed legal proceedings in his case.
His attorney told the Court that Picard is employed as an EMT in Illinois.
Dave Hawkins
Actually, it was the Board Clerk who finally managed to move the case to prosecution. The Board Chair failed for a year to get it done. Well, this sure sends a strong message to others involved in embezzlement within the Fire Districts, doesn’t it?! I feel for the guy, but doesn’t this ring your BS Buzzer? I can’t help but wonder WHO submitted those time sheets for 14 months in his name, and WHO received the $$ for them, if he did not submit the time sheets nor receive the $$??! If he received the $$, he didn’t notice that extra couple thousand $$ showing up in his account every month? … for 14 months?! Sorry, but this does not pass the smell test.
What did his bank records say? I don’t know the gentleman who is accused, in my opinion. MY OPINION ONLY!
There is another story about this somewhere? Some chicken-s♡♧t people won’t come out and tell the TRUTH!!!
Actually, it was the Board Clerk who finally managed to move the case to prosecution. The Board Chair failed for a year to get it done. Well, this sure sends a strong message to others involved in embezzlement within the Fire Districts, doesn’t it?! I feel for the guy, but doesn’t this ring your BS Buzzer? I can’t help but wonder WHO submitted those time sheets for 14 months in his name, and WHO received the $$ for them, if he did not submit the time sheets nor receive the $$??! If he received the $$, he didn’t notice that extra couple thousand $$ showing up in his account every month? … for 14 months?! Sorry, but this does not pass the smell test.
What did his bank records say? I don’t know the gentleman who is accused, in my opinion. MY OPINION ONLY!
There is another story about this somewhere? Some chicken-s♡♧t people won’t come out and tell the TRUTH!!!