January 13, 2010
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News: KY Fire Chief Suspended for CC Abuse
A Kentucky Fire Chief has been suspended for abusing the district's credit card. McMahan Fire District Chief Paul Barth for allegedly used the districts card to pay for thousands of personal expenses. A Courier-Journal investigation led to Chief Barth's fraudulent activity which dated back to November 2007. According to the Courier's report, Barth used the district credit card to pay over $15,000 in property taxes on a 2275 square foot condo in St. Pete Beach, in Pinellas County Florida. A Pinellas County representative said that Barth owns the condo with his mother and wife and is $35,047.58 in arrears. Barth also used the credit card to pay over $10,000 to Jefferson County for personal property taxes on 10 vehicles registered in Kentucky.
In addition to using the district's credit cards to finance his personal tax liabilities, Barth vacationed to Orlando, Florida at taxpayers' expense. Including airfare, car rental, hotel accommodations, and other personal expenditures, Barth spent over $3,500. McMahan Fire District credit card statements also show that Barth used the card to make several large personal purchases at Home Depot, Lowe's, Sam's Club, and Sears. No documentation was provided explaining the reason for the transactions. Barth also made personal purchases at Doo Wop Shop and Caufield's Novelty, and Kohl's in Seminole, Florida.
Barth racked up nearly $19,000 on the district's credit card without making any payment for several months. In November, District administrators suspended Barth without pay while the investigation continues. Charges were filed alleging that Barth “mishandled department funds and used its resources for his own benefit.” Barth's attorney, Charles Ricketts Jr. stated that the Fire Chief did use the district's card for personal use and has reimbursed all charges. However, Ricketts failed to produce any documentation to that affect. He also stated that district policy did not prohibit Barth from using the card for personal expenditures. Additionally, Barth left the firehouse unattended while he sent on-duty district personnel to run personal errands.
After his suspension, Barth refused to answer any questions; however, did tell administrators in October that he did not intentionally mean to harm the department and denied ordering any on-duty personnel to run errands. Furthermore, he agreed to repay any costs and credit card expenses resulting from his actions or mistakes. A hearing is scheduled for January 25th.