Funds for Los Angles Firefighters Facing Hardships Bilked by Ex-Secretary
Los Angeles Daily News
(TNS)
The ex-secretary of a Los Angeles labor union representing firefighters was charged Wednesday, June 17, with grand theft and forgery after he allegedly transferred money from the union foundation’s bank account to his own accounts to make mortgage payments, RV loan payments and participate in online gambling, authorities said.
Adam Richard Walker, who had served as secretary for the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City for two years and was its foundation’s chairman, was arrested Wednesday around 7 a.m., California Attorney General Rob Bonta said.
In all, investigators accused Walker of stealing nearly $83,000 from the nonprofit foundation from December 2022 to January 2024. Walker opened a foundation bank account and named himself as the sole signer, then used the account to shift the foundation’s funds into his personal accounts systematically, authorities said.
He was also accused of fabricating personal credit-card reimbursements and forging fake receipts, Bonta said.
Walker was charged with grand theft by employee or agent and forgery, with aggravating circumstances that the theft was of great monetary value and that he took advantage of a position of trust, Bonta said.
“When someone entrusted with managing those resources uses them for financial gain, that erodes public trust,” Bonta said during a virtual press conference. “They can inflict significant harm on our communities and the people they serve.”
Walker was booked into jail on $50,000 bail, according to an arrest warrant document provided by the California Attorney General’s Office.
Walker, along with other top officials at the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, was suspended in May after an audit conducted by the International Association of Fire Fighters, a parent organization, found more than $800,000 in credit card spending by the union that could not be accounted for.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the investigation into the union and its former officers was ongoing, but did not say whether others could also face charges.
Among those suspended from the union was its president, Freddy Escobar. He took to social media to deny allegations that he had improperly spent as much as $300,000-plus on his union credit card from July 2018 to November 2024 — funds the parent group said there was no way to determine were used for “legitimate union expenditures.”
The investigation into Walker began after someone flagged concerns in October 2024 about improper record-keeping to the parent organization, authorities said.
The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City represents more than 3,600 members of the LAFD. Its nonprofit foundation provides financial aid to firefighters and their families facing economic hardship due to injury, illness or death, while also funding fire-training programs.
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