APPLETON, Wis. — Investigators say four communities and suppliers throughout the nation are out $1.4 million after they paid for fire trucks that were never delivered.
David K. Moser, 57, was charged last week with seven felony counts of theft. Moser is the former owner of Elite Power Products and Elite Fire Apparatus, according to Post Crescent.
Bear Creek, Wis., officials say they paid almost $200,000 in April 2007 for a new water tanker truck that was to be shared by four fire departments. When the city paid for the truck, Elite’s account was overdrawn. After receiving payment, part of it went to cover Moser’s yacht loan payment, according to the article.
Communities in Ind., Mass., and N.Y. also say they made advance payments up to $348,000 in 2006 and 2007 for trucks they never received. They all say they had received discounts for paying in advance before delivery. When interviewed in 2009 by police, Moser said he didn’t spend any of his business’s money for personal reasons.
The Post Crescent reports that the investigation was launched after the Mass. Attorney General’s Office found inconsistencies in Elite Fire’s financial records, namely with the company’s payroll account being used for non-payroll items, like funding a trust fund for Moser’s child.
A credit card issued to the business was reportedly used by Moser and his wife for personal expenses like vacations, jewelry, and spa treatments.
Moser faces up to 70 years in prison and $175,000 in fines if he is found guilty of all seven counts of theft. He will make his first court appearance Oct. 4.