Former Allen, TX, Fire Union President Sentenced for Fraud
Jeremy Painkin, former president of the Allen Firefighters Association, was sentenced Wednesday to 13 months in federal prison for wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced.
Painkin, 42, a Frisco resident, used the Allen Firefighters Association’s funds for personal purchases, including expensive clothing, travel, tickets to various venues, fuel, food and purchases from online retailers, an investigation found. He served as president of the organization from 2017 until October 2023.
He resigned from his position when the investigation was launched into the organization’s finances. Painkin has been ordered to pay over $108,000 in restitution.
The Allen Professional Firefighters Association is a local union of firefighters in Allen under the International Association of Fire Fighters. The organization collects dues from members and then members vote to spend the money on donations to local charities, professional development classes and social events for members, according to Jeff Peters, who was elected secretary and treasurer of the Allen Firefighters Association in October 2022.
Peters told The Dallas Morning News on Thursday that once he got access to the organization’s bank account a few months after being elected treasurer, he quickly realized that something was amiss.
“Once I was able to log in, I could see that the transactions didn’t add up to normal union business,” Peters said. “I remember seeing charges for custom-tailored men’s suits ... and plane tickets, Uber expenses, hotels and resorts.”
Peters said that Painkin would claim that the organization’s account was being used by unknown scammers when other members asked about the charges, but he ultimately declined to alert authorities.
Along with members of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, Peters reported Painkin to the Department of Justice at the start of 2023.
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