SEATTLE — A former assistant fire chief at South King Fire and Rescue, accused of embezzling more than $500,000 from his department, has been charged with mail and wire fraud.
Grant G. Gaspard, 51, of Olympia, who served as the department’s chief financial officer, purchased more than $200,000 worth of items using his district-issued credit card and set up a phony company that received more than $260,000 in checks from the fire district, according to an affidavit unsealed Thursday in federal court.
FBI agents arrested Gaspard in Fife on Thursday.
He made an initial court appearance before Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida and was held without bond, pending a bail hearing next Tuesday.
Phone calls seeking comment from the attorney listed as Gaspard’s lawyer were not immediately returned.
Gaspard is charged with three counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud. Each count is punishable by a maximum 20 years and a $250,000 fine.
South King Fire and Rescue, also known as King County Fire Protection District No. 39, operates a $21 million budget, mostly from property taxes, according to court documents. It serves the cities of Federal Way and Des Moines, portions of Auburn and Normandy Park and a portion of King County.
In the complaint filed by the U.S. attorney’s office, investigators allege Gaspard purchased dozens of items, including high-end camera equipment totaling more than $30,000, a Blu-Ray DVD player, computers and night-vision gear.
Investigators say most of the purchases occurred between June 2007 and February 2008.
Court papers show the investigation into Gaspard’s financial dealings started in mid-July when a fire district employee noticed a number of international calls charged to the district and looked further into district records. The employee reported his findings to the district chief, who suspended Gaspard on July 14.
Gaspard resigned effective July 31.
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