NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A former treasurer of the Malverne Fire Department was arraigned on Friday on corruption charges for allegedly stealing more than $30,000 of department funds, prosecutors said.
Richard Bopp, 45, allegedly wrote and cashed checks to himself and he used the department's debit card to make withdrawals from ATMs, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said.
According to court documents, Bopp joined the Malverne Fire Department in April 2021 as treasurer after serving as Chief of Department from 2019 to 2021.
In August 2023, the NCDA was notified that Bopp was allegedly stealing funds from MFD after an audit found irregularities in bank statements noted by an attorney, according to the indictment.
A further investigation found that Bopp allegedly wrote multiple checks to himself totaling more than $5,000 from July 7, 2021 to May 1, 2023.
As treasurer, Bopp was authorized to write checks for the MFD, but each check needed council approval and two signatures: the treasurer's and either a chief's or deputy chief's.
The investigation found that none of the checks had council approval, and found that Bopp allegedly forged the signatures of the second signatories.
In total, Bopp allegedly withdrew nearly $20,000 at ATMs and made $5,000 in unauthorized purchases through a MFD debit card. The investigation found that the withdrawals were made at out-of-state casinos.
Several social media posts also pinpointed and showed Bopp going to these alleged fraudulent ATM withdrawal locations, according to court documents.
Bopp surrendered on Feb. 8 and was terminated from his position at the MFD.
He pleaded not guilty and was released to pretrial services.
"Richard Bopp served for more than five years in high-ranking positions in the Malverne Fire Department and in 2021, allegedly began using his standing and access to steal government funds," Donnelly said. "The Malverne Fire Department depends on these resources to serve the surrounding community and respond in a crisis. This defendant's alleged actions siphoned precious funds away from that essential objective."
Bopp was arraigned on charges of corrupting the government, grand larceny, forgery, falsifying business records and official misconduct.
If convicted, Bopp faces a maximum of two to seven years in prison.
He is due back in court on Feb. 16.
