ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. --
A report from Florida Department of Law Enforcement says Orlando District Chief Armando Bevalaqua made up reports to apply for a homeland security grant worth about four hundred thousand dollars.
The money was supposed to be used for training, but the report says Bevalaqua used it to buy trucks and other equipment.
Bevalqua received the money after he submitted a list of firefighters who attended an intensive hazmat training class in 2004.
FDLE says some of the names on the list were made-up. More than 100 firefighters who did attend the training never got paid. They hired a lawyer to fight for their money and won. The city now has to pay them all overtime.
After Bevalaqua was charged, he was put on probation for one year. He also has to complete community service.
The grant money was returned and the city ended up paying thousands of dollars in legal fees.
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