Seaville Father, Son, Charged With Defrauding Fire Company Out of $46,000

The former chief of the Seaville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company and his son, a member of that volunteer force, were indicted on allegations of receiving payments of approximately $46,000 based on fraudulent invoices and receipts, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced on Wednesday.

They allegedly submitted the receipts and invoices to the fire company and Upper Township Fire Commissioners.

Eugene Spiegel, 51, is accused of stealing $44,722. He was charged with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct, two counts of third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree falsifying records.

Jacob Spiegel, 20, is accused of stealing $1,275. He was charged with second-degree official misconduct, second-degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct and third-degree theft by deception.

Members of the volunteer fire company initially discovered the alleged crimes in January.

Eugene Spiegel resigned on Jan. 15, after being confronted with the charges. He is currently employed as an inspector with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs in the Office of Weights and Measures.

Jacob Spiegel served a 30-day suspension, but was later terminated in April. He is a part-time firefighter in Wildwood.

The state investigation began in March 2014 following an internal review by the Seaville Fire and Rescue Company.

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.

Second-degree crimes carry a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years and a criminal fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a prison sentence of 3 to 5 years and a fine of up to $15,000.

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