Cheshire Fire Department Treasurer Accused of Larceny
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The former treasurer of the Hoosac Hose Company is facing charges of taking more than $32,000 from the department over a three- to four-year period.
Everett "Gus" Martin, 80, is facing larceny charges after $32,588 was discovered missing.
According to documents in Northern Berkshire District Court, Fire Chief Thomas Francesconi, also president of the volunteer fire company, contacted the Berkshire Detective unit on April 3 to report that Martin had allegedly admitted to him that he had stolen the money.
Francesconi reported that it was discovered during a company meeting that Martin had made five withdrawals of more than $5,000 in 2014 from the company's account at Adams Community Bank.
When confronted about the withdrawals, Martin allegedly stated that they were placed into an account in a Springfield bank. He was unable to provide the name of the bank or paperwork regarding the deposit.
On March 5, Martin advised Francesconi that the questioned money was in a land management account in Springfield. He was still unable to provide paperwork
On March 19, Martin admitted to Francesconi that the Springfield account did not exist and that he had taken more than $32,000 for personal use, according to the police report. He added that he planned to sell to parcels of land he owed to repay the company.
Francesconi provided investigators on April 13 with a check of $34,000 given to him from a Martin family member. The check was dated April 9, 2015. Attached was a note that read "Return $34,000 investment – $32,587.95 Gain"
The check was not cashed because the crime was still under investigation.
On June 26, a search warrant was executed and state police investigators gathered all Martin's accounts and accounts related to the Fire Department and company.
Investigators said they found, after comparing bank statements to Martin's treasurer report of 2014, that he had created a nonexistent account containing $32,588 to represent what he had taken. This contained a $5,350 withdrawal that had sparked the investigation along with $9,500 in other cash withdrawals. They found withdrawals dating back to 2011, according court documents.
There was no clear evidence found that the money was deposited into personal accounts according to investigators, but they stated those could have been spread out and in the form of different denominations.
On Sept. 1, Martin was questioned by the members of the Berkshire Detective unit and he told them that he took the money to pay bills but did plan to return the money after selling his land.
He added that he kept track of how much he took form the company on a computer located in the station and that he only took cash from company and department fundraisers such as Cruz Night, contradicting statements made about the Springfield bank.
If convicted of larceny, Martin could face up to two years in jail on the one count of larceny.
His appointed attorney, Richard Taskin, submitted to Northern Berkshire District Court a plea of not guilty on Oct. 7. The pretrial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.
