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Fmr. Treasurer Stole $70K from FD
(AP) MORRISTOWN, N.J.
A former volunteer fire company treasurer has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $70,000 from the organization over a six-year period.
Authorities say 58-year-old Wanda Stopa (STOH-puh) repaid much of the money to Hibernia Fire Co. No. 1 in Rockaway Township, but a fire company audit after she stepped down uncovered the theft.
Defense lawyer Paul Selitto said in court Monday that Stopa used the money to pay household expenses after her husband died and to help pay her daughter's medical bills.
The thefts took place between November 1999 and January 2006.
At sentencing Aug. 21, Stopa could face up to 364 days in jail and 100 hours of community service. She must also reimburse nearly $16,000 she failed to repay.
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Information from: Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.com
Related
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A former volunteer fire company treasurer has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $70,000 from the organization over a six-year period.
Authorities say 58-year-old Wanda Stopa (STOH-puh) repaid much of the money to Hibernia Fire Co. No. 1 in Rockaway Township, but a fire company audit after she stepped down uncovered the theft.
Defense lawyer Paul Selitto said in court Monday that Stopa used the money to pay household expenses after her husband died and to help pay her daughter's medical bills.
The thefts took place between November 1999 and January 2006.
At sentencing Aug. 21, Stopa could face up to 364 days in jail and 100 hours of community service. She must also reimburse nearly $16,000 she failed to repay.
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Information from: Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.com
Related
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on
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People that steal money from the fire dept. make me SICK!!!! I think she should have mandatory jail time!!! I hope she burns in HELL!!!
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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I am wondering where her department brothers and sisters were. I would think they might want to help her during her difficult time of losing a spouse, and her daughters illness. Then again, maybe they did.
Background checks? It is possible that this was a law abiding person up to the point in her life, so a background check may very well have turned up nothing. It reminds me of the Eddie Murphy movie "Trading Places". Given the right circumstances, desperate people will do desperate deeds. However, I have a problem with this theory due to the time line. 1999 - 2006? Her banking experience probably assisted her in being able to hide it.
Now I also must question the departments policy (or lack thereof) for funds accounting and disbursement. My department requires 2 signatures on any banking transaction, plus a monthly statement is emailed to each member, plus a yearly audit performed by a outside firm.
One thing is certain, she should not and probably will not have a job or position involving the handling of money.
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Permalink Reply by Mick Shelley on
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I'm with you on that, must of had some good fund raising ideas, that's a lot of money
to have acquire in six years.
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Permalink Reply by FF Nick on
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Slap on the wrist is what will happen. We had a former fire chief across the county embezzle over a quarter mil (they stopped tracking around this point) and he got a year which he was out in no time for community svc/good behavior and had to pay restitution which basically he just sold his business to do. I understand times get hard but stealing is never the way to go about it.
Ok so the firehouse link is being goofy, click the top story that shows up
http://www.google.com/search?q=charles+cunningham+three+rivers+fire...
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Permalink Reply by Dewayne and Diana Bean on
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Its a sad day when someone steals from the department I hope the department gets back the money and hopefully they will make an example out of her!
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I could not agree with you more!
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You would think she was in politics, that goes on all the time, how said it realy is, I can't beleive
it took so long to find out.....
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Permalink Reply by DOWNS290 on
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We had a guy steal over $125,000 dollars that we could prove over a period of time. There was more than likely more money that was stolen but the records only went back 7 years, so the previos years were destroyed. They guy only paid back a small portion of what he took and faced from what I can remember no jail time. Few weeks or months on house arrest. No one knows exactly what he did with the money but he was some how able to afford a very large addition on his home, aswell as a pretty nice size fishting boat. This was all prior to me joining the Dept., but we still are feeling the effects from the loss of money, however we are pretty much back to normal now. Since all of this we do an audit twice a year on all of our finances so something like this should never happen again.
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