A former Bristol Township fire chief accused of misappropriating nearly $33,000 in company funds is headed to trial, with the district judge who presided over his preliminary hearing offering harsh remarks about the case against him.
Judge John Galloway ordered former Newportville Fire Co. Chief Fred Black, 55, held on all felony and misdemeanor charges following testimony in a near two-hour hearing Aug. 19, though he criticized the department's past oversight and record-keeping.
“The incompetency is staggering,” Galloway said. “The organization is a dumpster fire.”
Bristol Township police allege that Black, a 30-year fire department volunteer, who is free on unsecured bail, misspent the organization's funds over four years before quitting in December
2024 after an internal investigation was opened.
Authorities said Newportville fire officials noticed suspiciousspending activity starting in 2018, after Black took over as company treasurer. He was arrested in December.
Newportville Fire Co. Trustees Chairwoman Michele Prickett testified Wednesday an internal audit committee formed in 2024 reviewed bank statements for the company’s three accounts and discovered alleged unauthorized purchases made with debit cards issued to Black.
The committee also found unapproved cash withdrawals including more than $12,000 from an account for federal money that specifically bars them, and no records of cash deposits individuals alleged they gave Black for hall rentals.
At the time, the fire company bylaws required any spending of more than $250 to get trustee approval first, Prickett said. She added the fire company is currently undergoing a full financial audit.
Prickett testified that Black has never provided the trustees or the auditing committee records or receipts to reconcile his spending and confirm that the items were purchased for the fire department despite multiple requests. After two meetings, Black stopped cooperating with the audit, she added.
Since the committee has no documentation for any of Black's Amazon purchases, it only counted as unauthorized the ones where they polled multiple members and they could not definitively identify the item as related to fire company business, Prickett said.
Among the hundreds of alleged unapproved purchases were multiple pairs of tactical boots, waterproof shirts, men's underwear, power tools, a dozen decks of playing cards, two poker chip holders, a dozen Yeti tumblers, an 11-piece outdoor furniture set, hot tub-maintenance items, and solar-power lawn decorations.
Attempts to locate the unauthorized items at either of the two fire stations were unsuccessful, Prickett said.
The trustee chair also disputed that any items were purchased for fundraisers since raffle prizes and gift baskets are typically donated. The fire company also uses third-party contractors to purchase firefighter clothing or accessories and tools, and it uses a different tool brand than the items in the Amazon purchases, Pickett added.
Bristol Township Detective Alexander Asmann testified that he found “substantial” cash withdraws at a warehouse club, home improvement store and a local convenience store.
The detective said that Black told him he purchased items for raffle prizes, including lottery tickets, though he could not recall the events where the items were available.
Under cross examination, though, Black’s attorney, Paul Lang, showed Asmann six different Facebook posts from the Newportville Fire Co. Facebook page for fundraisers where lottery tickets were the prize.
The detective acknowledged he had not seen the posts.
Asmann also confirmed that police did not execute search warrants at Black’s home, where the items were delivered, or otherwise confirm if the alleged unauthorized items are in his possession.
The only thing that both sides agreed on was Black used the fire company card to charge more than $2,500 for concert tickets for the late-90s boy-band New Kids On The Block and event insurance policies.
Lang maintained that his client admitted to the purchase, but he accidentally put it on the wrong card and he repaid it. Black also agreed to pay for the second set of tickets, though he doesn’t remember buying them.
But Prickett testified that, so far, Black has repaid only $1,000.
Galloway suggested to prosecutor A. J. Garabedian that the concert tickets are the strongest evidence that the Bucks County District Attorney's Office has against Black.
“The rest of it is a cloud, a blur. It’s definitely smoke,” Galloway said, before adding, “You’re almost as bad as the Newportville Fire Company.”
The Bristol Township Council is expected to discuss the future of the nearly 100 year-old fire company and a potential merger with the township’s rescue fire department at its Aug. 20 meeting.
The council has threatened to stop funding the company citing its poor performance, recent compliance audit findings, longstanding operational concerns and continued issues involving leadership and accountability as major problems.
Crime and Courts Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Ex-Newportville fire chief theft charges from 'dumpster fire' group held
