Former Charleston County fire chief, Summerville businesswoman convicted of pocketing grant money... [View all]

Former Charleston County fire chief, Summerville businesswoman convicted of pocketing grant money from cash-strapped fire district

A former fire chief and a Summerville businesswoman were convicted Friday in federal court on charges that they defrauded the cash-strapped St. Paul's Fire District in Charleston County.

Former St. Paul’s Fire Chief Doc McNeil Matthews, 47, of Hollywood, and Mary Jo Thomas-Delaney, 67, of Summerville, were convicted of participating in a scheme to secretly inflate contract payments from the district to Thomas-Delaney’s company, Grant Services LLC, and split the inflated proceeds with each other, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for South Carolina.

The pair face a maximum sentence of ten years and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Matthews also faced a count of embezzling money from the district by, among other things, inflating his leave balances and cashing in the leave, according to court documents.

Read more: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/former-charleston-county-fire-chief-summerville-businesswoman-convicted-of-pocketing/article_73a0898c-7315-11e7-8d7b-973b72018a5a.html