A Lake County firefighter was jailed Thursday after detectives discovered he'd used firefighter union money to make thousands of dollars of personal purchases, the Sheriff's Office said.
Kevin Chamberlain, 43, was treasurer for the International Association of Fire Fighters and used union accounts to make $16,705 worth of purchases from sites like Firefighter.com and eBay as well as Carnival Cruise Lines and other vendors, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Detectives investigated the case for nearly a year and issued a warrant Wednesday for Chamberlain's arrest. Chamberlain turned himself in Thursday and was jailed on organized fraud and grand theft charges but has since posted bail.
Chamberlain was a 22-year veteran of the Lake County Fire Department. He most recently served as a firefighter in a station west of Lady Lake but was injured and has not been back to work since August, Lake County fire Chief John Jolliff said. Chamberlain sustained a lifting injury at the station and had been collecting workers compensation since and planned to retire May 3.
Jolliff said active employees would typically be placed on paid leave pending the outcome of a trial, but Jolliff said Chamberlain is basically already on leave.
The chief said it was "disappointing" to learn of the accusations but emphasized that the situation did not involve taxpayer money. Local firefighter union president Steve LaFleur said Chamberlain's alleged crime only involved union dues and not donations. Chamberlain withdrew his membership from the group about a month ago, and LaFleur said members were saddened that any of the accusations might be true.
LaFleur described Chamberlain as a longtime member of the group and "a friend to many."
Copyright 2012 - The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
