June 18, 2016

Former treasurer of a volunteer fire company indicted for wire fraud and subscribing to false tax returns


Former treasurer of a volunteer fire company indicted for wire fraud and subscribing to false tax returns
Source: Office of the State Comptroller

[N.B. The charges contained in an Indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.]

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, Shantelle P. Kitchen, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), Diego Rodriguez, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and George Beach, Superintendent, New York State Police reported the arrest of Michael Klein, the former treasurer of the Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department (“MVFD”), on charges of wire fraud and subscribing to false tax returns.

Klein, Fire Department’s elected treasurer, is alleged to have stolen $5.7 million of the Fire Department’s monies over a period of more than 13 years.  


Details concerning the allegations involving Michael Klein are posted on the Internet at:

Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse.  Individuals can report allegations of fraud involving public funds by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by transmitting an e-mail to investigations@osc.state.ny.us, by filing a complaint online at http://osc.state.ny.us/investigations/complaintform2.htm or by mailing a complaint to Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 14th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.