Bail Lowered for Ex-FF Accused in PA Relief Fund Theft
By Manuel Gamiz Jr.
Source The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
Corey Cole Jr., the former Allentown police officer and volunteer firefighter charged with stealing more than $315,000 from a firefighter support organization, posted bail on Wednesday after it was lowered by a Northampton County judge.
Cole Jr., 41, of Lehigh Township, had been in county jail since Friday, the day he was arraigned on 380 counts of forgery, theft, and tampering with public information and evidence following an investigation at the Lehigh Township Fireman’s Relief Association, where Cole served as treasurer.
His bail had been set at $100,000 straight, which he was unable to post. On Wednesday, Northampton County Judge Samuel P. Murray lowered his bail to $50,000, 10 percent, which was posted soon after.
As part of his bail conditions, Cole cannot have any contact with the victims, he can’t leave the state, and he must surrender his weapons, according to court records.
Last week in court, Lehigh Township police Chief Scott Fogel said that Cole, “committed a betrayal of the public trust and used his position as a law enforcement officer to steal the money.”
“This was nothing more than selfish greed,” he said. “As a police officer and volunteer in the community, he’s charged with holding the public trust higher than just about anyone else, and that’s a very big betrayal.”
Authorities said Cole used the money on dining out, online shopping and his own entertainment.
Lehigh Township police received an audit from Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale’s office detailing the alleged thefts.
Over a seven-year period, Cole fraudulently used a debit card linked to the fireman’s relief bank account, wrote more than $211,000 in checks to himself, and created $19,000 in fake vendor invoices, authorities said.
Cole also created fraudulent bank accounts to try and cover the thefts, police say.
Cole was an Allentown police officer since 2000 and resigned in August, around the same time he was named in the theft investigation, police officials said. Cole also was discharged from the fire company where he served, police say.
After last week’s arraignment, Cole’s attorney, Greg Spang, said Cole is “extremely remorseful” for the thefts and agreed to surrender to authorities once the investigation was underway.
“The thefts were something that happened, and it just snowballed from there,” Spang said.
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