Ex-Houston FF Accused of Stealing $3K in Disaster Relief

A former Houston firefighter has been indicted after allegedly stealing $3,000 from a nonprofit providing disaster relief to first responders in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Harris County prosecutors said.

Shane Horsted, 47, faces up to 20 years in prison if he's convicted of the felony-level theft charge. The penalty is enhanced because the crime was committed in a disaster area after the storm, according to a news release.

Horsted was accused of stealing from the International Association of Firefighters Disaster Relief Program in 2017. The nonprofit offered $500 pre-loaded debit cards to firefighters whose homes had been damaged by Harvey, the release said.

Horsted, who was a Houston firefighter at the time, forged information from fellow firefighters to obtain six cards, the release said.

Court records show Horsted was also charged with impersonating a public servant last May. In the case, he was accused of pretending to be a firefighter to persuade  a woman to a show him a full Houston police report. He showed her an identification card indicating he was a Houston firefighter, court records say.

Horsted was fired from the department after an administrative review a few weeks before that incident, according to KPRC-TV.

His next hearing for that case is set for March 28 in the 180th District Court.

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