BRIDGEPORT - The head of the Fire Department’s minority organization used the group’s bank account and credit card to pay for his vacations to Florida and Virginia, night outs at the Mohegan Sun casino and a $155 dinner at Crossroad Pizza, police say.
But Frank Riccio II, the lawyer for Fire Capt. Darrien Penix, said his client paid back the more than $15,000 Penix is accused of stealing.
The 44-year-old Penix, who is charged with second-degree larceny, did not enter pleas during his arraignment Thursday in Superior Court. Instead, Riccio said, the case was continued to Sept 23.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit of Police Det. Frank Podpolucha, on July 29, Joseph Kirkland, the vice president of the Fire Department’s Firebirds Society, complained that Penix, the president of the Firebirds, had stolen $15,777.23 in organization funds and used the money for his personal use.
An audit of the Firebirds’ accounts showed that Penix stole more than $13,000 from the group’s checking account and had rolled up nearly $3,000 on its credit card from December 2018 to April 2019, the affidavit states.
When confronted, police said, Penix did not dispute any of the charges, texting Kirkland that he had “(expletive) up royally” and “That if Kirkland was pressing charges he would like to know his bond so he could bond out.”
from News https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Police-fire-captain-used-stolen-funds-for-14399285.php
No comments:
Post a Comment