The former fire chief and fire department treasurer in a small village to the north of New York City has been charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the department.
The Northern Westchester Examiner reports that former Croton-on-Hudson chief Gerald Munson was charged with felony grand larceny Wednesday for stealing more than $300,000 from the village fire department over the course of seven years.
The 64-year-old Munson, who also once served as a village police officer, could face a maximum 25 years in prison if convicted. After being arraigned in Village Court, he was released on his own recognizance upon paying $25,000 toward restitution.
“Mr. Munson abused the trust of his community and his fellow volunteer firefighters," New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said.
In February, an internal audit discovered that Munson, who was serving as fire department treasurer, had provided false 2017 bank statements which he later admitted to creating on a home computer. He then confessed to stealing the money for personal use and using the department debit card as if it were his own.
Further investigation confirmed that between January 2011 and February 2018, Munson stole approximately $312,925 in department funds.
"Public corruption is a crime that hurts all of us," Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino said. "We are proud of this collaboration between our Office, the Village of Croton-on Hudson Police Department and the New York State Comptroller's Office to find the root cause of the misuse of public money and will continue the work needed to prosecute this case in the courts and see that justice is done."
Croton-on-Hudson is a village of about 8,000 people within the town of Cortlandt in Westchester County about 42 miles north of New York City.
