CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former volunteer fire chief in Union, Monroe County, has been accused of stealing from the department.
Larry Dunbar was charged with forging false invoices for work not performed, taking cash advances from a department debit card, and using checks to obtain cash for his own use.
A grand jury issued an indictment charging Dunbar. The accusations were based on an investigation by the state Auditor’s Office.
Auditor John B. McCuskey applauded the work of the Monroe County Prosecutor Justin St. Clair. He also praised the cooperative investigative work between the two offices to bring the case to court.
“This is a perfect example of why our new Public Integrity and Fraud Unit was created,” McCuskey stated.
“The prosecutor had a complex criminal matter and reached out to us for the specialized financial crime investigation we can perform. We were glad to assist in the investigation, and now look forward to working with Prosecutor St. Clair further on this matter.”
The state Auditor assembled the Public Integrity and Fraud Unit to help county prosecutors investigate and prosecute financial crime cases.
Right now, the unit includes a legal director, seven forensic fraud examiners, four investigators, and three fraud monitors screening financial transactions for state and local governments.
“These matters are serious and will be treated that way,” McCuskey stated. “You will be hearing about more cases, similar to this one, in the very near future.
The Auditor’s Office encouraged citizens with tips to call the new fraud line (833) WV-FRAUD or file an anonymous report online at www.wvsao.gov.