City officials have alleged the firefighters turned in false timecards with the help of a civilian payroll clerk who had once dated one of the firefighters. The clerk, who did not collect extra pay, was accused of helping the firefighters claim money for 627 hours they never worked. The firefighter who dated the clerk collected about $8,000 extra, authorities said.
The firefighters were fired in March, and the clerk resigned. None was identified publicly.
The board ruled this week that the two firefighters should be reinstated, but city public safety director Nick Bakas said the city is appealing to state district court.
``Stealing, cheating and fraud has no place in this administration,'' Bakas said.
He said the board's decision made no sense.
``I have never seen such a decision as 180 degrees apart as this,'' he said.
Albuquerque Fire Department officials who conducted an internal investigation compared the firefighters' payroll slips with an automated system that tracks which firefighters are on duty.
