ANN ARBOR, MI—A retired Ann Arbor Fire Department chief has been charged with allegedly embezzling while he was on the job six years ago.
Ollice “Chuck” Hubbard was recently arraigned on one felony count of embezzlement by an agent or trustee in the amount of $1,000 to $20,000 for an alleged embezzlement committed in May 2013, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint, the embezzlement occurred while Hubbard was “an agent, servant, or employee of the Ann Arbor Police & Fire Benefit Fund,” Washtenaw County Chief Prosecuting Attorney Steven Hiller said.
Details regarding the alleged embezzlement and what funds are missing are currently unknown as the case, which stems from a Michigan State Police investigation, is still in its initial stages.
“For 34 years, Mr. Hubbard has devoted his professional life to public service, rising through the ranks from firefighter to chief,” said Hubbard’s attorney John Shea. “He is competent and experienced in running a fire department, but he’s not a professional funds manager nor was managing these funds a regular part of his job as chief. Whatever actions he took with respect to the funds, they were not taken with any intent to defraud, and he has offered numerous times to turn over the funds.”
Hubbard, 59, joined the Ann Arbor Fire Department in 1985 as a firefighter and rose to the rank of chief in 2011 where he remained until retiring in 2014.
Before retiring, he was cited for repeated violations of the city’s purchasing policy and told he needed to show better judgment, according to his personnel file.
Hubbard told the Ann Arbor News previously his retirement decision was due to "limited support from key areas in both the fire department and the city."
Hubbard is currently free on bond. He is scheduled for preliminary examination on Sept. 19.
Embezzlement by an agent or trustee in the amount of $1,000 to $20,000 is punishable by up to five years in prison and or a fine of not more than $10,000 or three times the value of the money or property embezzled, whichever is greater.
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