Christopher Chapman, Theft of Public Funds, Kentucky 2021

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Former Fire Chief Pleads Guilty to Theft of Public Funds

PIKEVILLE, Ky.—Christopher Chapman, the former Fire Chief of the Blackberry Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD), is facing up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to theft of public funds on Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell.

As part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal government distributed emergency funding to local governments to maintain vital local services in 2021. Pike County local government authorized the distribution of $50,000 of these funds through grants for the purchase of turnout gear for fire and rescue, along with equipment and building maintenance. Chapman applied for these grants on behalf of BVFD and was awarded the full amount.

According to his plea agreement, Chapman created a company named Rural Public Safety Equipment, LLC. (RPSE) and registered it with the West Virginia Secretary of State. He then informed members of the BVFD that he could obtain fire safety equipment at cost from a safety equipment company, failing to disclose that he was the owner of the company.

The fire department pre-paid and ordered $76,854.50 worth of fire and safety equipment from RPSE. Instead of using the prepayments to fulfill the orders, Chapman spent all the money on his own personal use and withdrew $61,500 in cash from the RPSE bank account.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Bruce Roberts, Interim Executive Director, Kentucky Fire Commission, jointly announced the guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky Fire Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.

Chapman is scheduled to appear for sentencing on November 25, 2024. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established by the Attorney General to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form