The Daily Star
WORCESTER, N.Y. — An East Worcester Hose Company One volunteer firefighter was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with embezzling $83,097 from the fire company while serving as its treasurer, officials said.
Gregory B. Eager, 30, of Main Street, East Worcester, was charged with second-degree grand larceny when he was arrested by investigator Mike Ten Eyck of the Otsego County District Attorney’s Office.
The arrest came after a criminal investigation begun by the district attorney’s office in conjunction with the state Department of Financial Services.
Eager pleaded not guilty to the felony charge and was released on his own recognizance after he was arraigned by Worcester Town Judge William Fischer.
His defense lawyer, Matthew Swedick, told The Daily Star outside the town court that he does not expect the case to ever go to trial, stating that all funds missing from the fire department will be restored.
Swedick said Eager is well-known in the local community and his family has been in the East Worcester area for many years.
The investigation began after the chief of the fire department, Alan Tiffany, became suspicious about numerous banking transactions, including the liquidation of a $75,000 certificate of deposit that the department had with a local bank, officials said.
Using a fire department debit card, Eager allegedly made numerous withdrawals from a department account via automated teller machines. The stolen money went to pay for his power company bills and to cover other expenses, authorities said.
Eager, a father of four young children who runs a small trash collection and disposal company from his home in East Worcester, had taken over as the treasurer of the department in 2013. Tiffany previously served as the treasurer, according to court records.
Tiffany said in a signed affidavit that he contacted Fred Stein, a Cobleskill certified public accountant, to audit the department’s financial records after he noticed the discrepancies. Officials said the cost of that audit — conducted for a fee of $200 an hour — will be added to the department’s total losses.
Veteran firefighter Kevin Ritton, who serves as director of the Otsego County Office of Emergency Services, said fire companies are often left with a “black eye” when a firefighter betrays the trust placed in him to take monies collected through fundraisers.
“Luckily, it’s not something we see every day,” Ritton said. “But when it does happen it affects all of us.”
The alleged embezzlement began in June 2013 and continued through the past month, officials said.
An emergency meeting of the East Worcester Fire department will be held Monday evening.
Judge Fisher directed Eager to reappear in court at 4 p.m. on Jan. 5.
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