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A former union official with the Detroit Fire Department faces a federal embezzlement charge for spending more than $ 220,000 on flights, hotel rooms, cruises and more, according to the US Department of Justice.
Verdine Day, 62, former treasurer of the Detroit Fire Fighters Association, is charged with bank and electronic fraud, according to a filing complaint. She is due in federal court on Monday.
Day was hired by the Detroit Fire Department in 1986 and worked as a firefighter and engineer and in other roles within the union before being elected treasurer. She served as treasurer from December 2015 until September 2019, when she retired from the union and the city of Detroit, according to a press release.
During these years, the complaint alleges that Day obtained approximately $ 167,000 in funds by issuing checks in his name and changing the name in the union’s software system; cash checks, which were canceled by her in the system; and issue checks payable in cash.
Day also used union credit cards for personal use while she was treasurer and after her retirement, according to the complaint file, which shows she billed $ 52,143.65. Expenses included Airbnb and hotel rooms in Tijuana, Mexico; New York; Florida and Amsterdam.
Other expenses include auto insurance premiums, satellite and cable television service, park fees, furniture and cruises. Complaint shows Day used $ 9,554 of union funds for a Royal Caribbean cruise in 2017, and $ 8,975 for another cruise with Liberty of the Seas in 2019.
“This lawsuit demonstrates that we will not tolerate union leaders who abuse their authority and line their pockets at the expense of union members,” Acting US Attorney Saima Mohsin said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to eradicate corruption and fraud involving unions.
Union president Thomas Gehart was not immediately available for comment.
Contact Dana Afana: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @DanaAfana
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