GARNER -- A former employee of Garner's volunteer fire department was indicted Wednesday on allegations she embezzled nearly $400,000 from the department.
Amy McKinley Moore of Garner is charged with obtaining property under a false pretense and larceny by an employee. Both are felonies, and each has a maximum penalty of 21 years of incarceration.
Moore, 43, served as an administrative assistant to the fire chief for 11 years, according to Matt Poole, Garner's interim fire chief. She was let go in January after an auditor discovered financial discrepancies, Poole said.
According to an indictment, Moore wrote 301 checks to herself from the department's bank account, totaling $393,949.56 and then recorded those in the account ledger as either money paid for operating expenses for fuel or not recorded at all. The indictment states the alleged crimes occurred between Jan. 14, 2003, and Dec. 23, 2009.
The volunteer fire department is a private, not-for-profit organization responsible for fire and rescue services in Garner and outlying areas. It receives most of its funding from the town and Wake County.
Under the terms of a new service contract between the fire department and the town, three members of the department's six-member board of directors will be appointed by the town. The department has agreed to hire an independent bookkeeper, conduct more regular audits, adopt an anti-nepotism policy, open its monthly board meetings and make quarterly reports to the town council, according to a news release.
