Former Seaville Fire Chief Sentenced for Stealing From $46,000 From Fire Company

The former chief of the Seaville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company was sentenced to five years in state prison after he admitted that he received $46,000 in fraudulent invoices and receipts he submitted for reimbursement to the fire company and Upper Township Fire Commissioners, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said.

Eugene Spiegel, 51, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy. He must also repay $46,177 in restitution and is banned from all future public employment.

His son, 20-year-old Jacob Spiegel, has been admitted to a pre-trial intervention program after admitting that he received a reimbursement of $1,275 for training that he did not attend while volunteering for the Seaville fire company.

“The Spiegels stole from an organization whose purpose is to serve Seaville’s residents and protect them during dangerous circumstances,” Hoffman said. “Eugene Spiegel abused the trust of his community and his fellow firefighters by routing fire company funds to enrich himself.”

“Public officials who steal taxpayer money for their own personal use need to be punished,” Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig said. “The anti-corruption laws in New Jersey are tough and we are working tirelessly to prosecute any official who violates them.”

The state investigation began in March 2014 following an internal review by the Seaville Fire and Rescue Company. Members of the volunteer fire company initially became suspicious of the father and son two months earlier.

The internal review had revealed several reimbursements Eugene had received for training courses and clothing that he had never paid for and the company had never actually received.

The financial review discovered that the fire company had issued approximately $18,000 in checks to a clothing apparel company that listed Eugene’s home address as its location. In addition, the investigation found that Eugene had been receiving reimbursements totaling more than $17,000 since 2011 for purchases of fire company apparel from a company that folded during Spiegel’s alleged scam.

The fire company could find no evidence it ever received any apparel. It is also alleged that between 2010 and 2013, Eugene Spiegel received more than $9,500 for trainings he did not attend.

The internal investigation at the fire company began in January when a volunteer became suspicious that Jacob Spiegel allegedly submitted a fraudulent claim for $1,275 that Eugene approved with his signature. Jacob later allegedly told investigators that he had cashed the check, but had done so at his father’s direction.

During the course of this investigation, investigators discovered that former treasurer Michael Petrella, 26, of Seaville, was also using fire company funds to reimburse himself for personal expenses, including beer, diapers and assorted personal items.

Petrella pleaded guilty in December.

The attached image of Eugene Spiegel was provided by the Attorney General’s Office