Union President of Seekonk Fire Department Charged with Stealing Charity Money

The former union president of the Seekonk Fire Department has been charged with stealing from his own organization's charity drive to pay off personal bills. 

Scott Celikbas was charged with larceny over $250 after Seekonk police conducted an investigation as to why money collected at the annual Fill The Boot event was deposited into the union's bank account over a month after the charity drive concluded.

According to a police report written by Det. Thomas Hedrick, on Nov. 10, Robert Doar, the secretary for the Seekonk Fire Department Union Local 1931, reported money missing from a Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Fill the Boot Drive. The department collects money every year to donate to the charity.

On Aug. 28, 2010, the firefighters asked for donations at the Bakers Corners area, located at the corner of Central and Newman avenues. After they finished, a group of firefighters counted the bills, locked them up in a red cabinet and left a bucket of coins. According to the report, the bucket of coins were placed in a second-floor location in the station away from view. Only Firefighter Shaun Whalen, the coordinator of the drive, and Celikbas knew where the bucket was. 

Soon after Whalen left the station, Celikbas called his cell phone and said he was in the process of dropping off the coinage at his church to be counted for free as banks can charge a nominal fee for the service.

Soon after, says the report, Celikbas contacted Whalen and reported about $800 was counted. Whelan said he was amazed because the department had never raised that much before; Celikbas said quarters were mostly counted. To make it an even amount the union president donated about $100 of his own money.

On Sept. 4, the drive was held again at the south end of Seekonk near Sam's Club on Fall River Avenue. The coins were again placed upstairs and Whalen said he would take care of the counting. Celikbas again said he would take the money to the church to be counted, later reporting $350 counted. Whalen said he needed the money to be deposited by Monday, Sept. 18, in the union's account at Sovereign Bank soon for the charity.

That Monday, no money was deposited. Whalen asked Celikbas where the money was; he did not give an answer. Later in the day, the union president sent a text to Whalen and said a check was being mailed to the union. In the meantime, according to the report, the union secretary repeatedly asked Celikbas where the money was. Celikbas said he was waiting for his church to donate $150 to make the total donation to the MDA $1,300. The treasurer wanted the names of the people who counted the money; Celikbas was not willing to provide the information.

On Oct. 22, Whalen was told $1,150 was deposited in the union's bank account. In reaction to the transaction delay, members of the union scheduled a special meeting to discuss the circumstances on why it took Celikbas so long to deposit the money. According to the report, Celikbas told the secretary he would not be attending the meeting because it would be a "firing squad." Furthermore, he would not attend because now that the money was deposited, the tardiness shouldn't be an issue.

As requested by the secretary, Celikbas provided a narrative to the union explaining that he deposited the coins into Coinstar machines because church staff could not accommodate his request; he supplemented some of his own money. He also sent an e-mail to the secretary reporting he would step down as the union president. 

During the Oct. 28 meeting, a motion was made to turn over information regarding the fundraiser's missing money to the state police for an investigation, according to the report. The secretary soon after contacted the Attorney General's office who instructed him to contact the local police. 

The Seekonk police department then began to dig. After receiving receipts provided by Celikbas, Det. Hedrick went to Coinstar locations and procured surveillance footage of Celikbas exchanging the coins in Attleboro and Cumberland Stop and Shops. 

On Nov. 29, he was called in to the police station. After being questioned, Celikbas told Det. Hedrick he never made contact with a church but said he intended to give the money to the union which was kept at his house. The detective asked if he had a gambling problem; Celikbas said he did when working in Lakeville and would spent upwards to $3,000 at Foxwoods Casino. In the surveillance tape, the detective saw him purchase scratch tickets after depositing the coins. Celikbas also said he borrowed money from the union in the past to pay for rent but later paid the organization back. He told the detective he used the MDA money "to pay off stuff" like food and rent.

According to the report, Celikbas then deposited the funds into the union's account, after he picked up his paycheck from the Seekonk department and another from Roslindale, then drove to Sovereign Bank to make the transaction. He said he would have paid the union back a week after getting the coins, but his bills "began to snowball." When the union gave him an ultimatum and said they would go to the authorities, he finally deposited the money.

On Dec. 3, the detective met with the executive board from the union; members decided unanimously to press charges.

To fill Celikbas' spot, Chief Jack hired a replacement with the approval of the Board of Selectmen; Neil Goulk will attend the Massachusetts Fire Academy in April. Another EMT paramedic was hired and will attend the academy in July. 

The Lincoln, R.I. resident was charged with larceny over $250. He could face up to five years in state prison, two in jail and pay a fine not exceeding $25,000.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Taunton District Court on March 1.