St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The former chief of the St. Clair Fire District, Eric Hinson, was sentenced Thursday to 35 months in federal prison for stealing $593,000 in district funds.
While the district struggled to find money to replace aging equipment, Hinson was taking cash advances and spending public money on vacations in Florida and Hawaii, furniture, limo rides, jewelry, sports equipment, entertainment expenses, credit card bills and a personal truck, prosecutors said.
He covered up the hundreds of illicit transactions by destroying or altering records, and continued to access the accounting system from home even after officials found out, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said in court.
In court filings, Goldsmith said an arrogant Hinson treated the district’s “coffers as his own personal piggy bank.”
Hinson also is the former fire chief of Ladue, but there were no allegations of theft there.
In letters to U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber, St. Clair firefighters and officials said Hinson’s greed prevented the district from buying vital equipment, hiring firefighters and potentially funding pensions.
It also “absolutely shattered” the trust among the citizens, the fire district and the employees, Goldsmith said.
District officials and employees said they have suffered accusations that they were involved, or should have caught Hinson sooner.
“While the rumors have slowed and the fingers no longer point, we still walk with a limp and a black eye,” Lt. Jason Hatley wrote to Webber.
Hinson’s lawyer, Catherine Hanaway, said that the district’s claims about pensions and old equipment were an “exaggeration.”
Hinson apologized in court, saying, “There are no excuses.”
He started as a volunteer firefighter with St. Clair in 1985. He became treasurer in 1999 and added the chief’s title in January 2011. The part-time job paid roughly $25,000.
In July 2011, he also became chief in Ladue. Hinson resigned from both jobs that September, because of the investigation.
He was indicted in federal court here in January and pleaded guilty in February to one count of mail fraud and five counts of tax evasion.
He admitted stealing the money from January 2006 through September 2011, and filing false tax returns for 2006-2010 that failed to report the embezzled money as income.
Hinson repaid the $593,000 on Thursday, thanks to the generosity of a relative. He still owes roughly $22,000 for the cost of the district’s investigation into the theft, and could owe more for back taxes.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Hinson faced 33 to 41 months in prison.
Outside court, district Treasurer David Berkel said it can now catch up on maintenance and other deferred needs.
The St. Clair district serves an area along Interstate 44, about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis, with a combination of paid and volunteer firefighters spread among four stations.
Copyright 2013 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
All Rights Reserved