Christopher Chapman, the former Fire Chief of the Blackberry Volunteer Fire Department in Pike County, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell. The sentencing on Monday came after Chapman was found guilty of theft of public funds.
In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act provided emergency funding to support local governments impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pike County allocated $50,000 for local fire departments to purchase essential equipment and maintenance. Chapman applied for these grants on behalf of the department and received the full amount.
Chapman admitted in his plea agreement that on April 11, 2022, he founded a company named Rural Public Safety Equipment, LLC, and was its sole member and organizer. He informed the fire department team that he could provide fire safety equipment at cost through this company but failed to disclose that he owned it. The department prepaid $76,854.50 for equipment that was never delivered. Instead, Chapman spent the funds on personal expenses and withdrew $61,500 in cash from the company account.
Under federal statutes, Chapman is required to serve 85 percent of his sentence. Post-release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years and must pay $76,854.50 in restitution.
The announcement of Chapman's sentencing was made by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, along with Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office, and Bruce Roberts, Interim Executive Director of the Kentucky Fire Commission. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Kentucky Fire Commission, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Dunn-Pirio.
Individuals with information on fraud attempts involving COVID-19 can contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or access their web complaint form. Further details on the Department's pandemic response can be found on their website.