A former West Virginia volunteer hearth official is awaiting sentencing after he admitted to setting hearth to his dwelling, submitting an insurance coverage declare, and utilizing the hearth division’s bank card for private acquire.
Donald A. Ennis, 43, of St. Albans, pleaded responsible this week in federal courtroom. In 2021, he fraudulently obtained an insurance coverage payout on his dwelling of $161,100 for the dwelling and $120,825 for the contents, the U.S. Lawyer for the Southern District of West Virginia mentioned in assertion.
A fireplace utterly engulfed the property on Feb. 15, 2021 and hearth crews have been unable to include it, in response to the felony data doc filed within the case. The Bloomington, Illinois-based property insurance coverage firm was not named. The annual premium was lower than $980.
As finance and operations supervisor for a volunteer hearth division in Kanawha County, Ennis additionally ran up $153,700 in expenses on the division’s bank card, via ATM withdrawals and purchases in 2020, 2021 and 2022, prosecutors mentioned. Amongst different objects, he bought a winch package, brake strains and different elements for his Jeep, together with an air compressor, the courtroom doc exhibits.
The fireplace division was funded partially by the Kanawha County Fee.
Ennis is ready for sentencing on Nov. 18. He might resist 40 years in jail on every rely, a positive of greater than $500,000, and certain will probably be requested to pay restitution of greater than $500,000 and forfeit property and different property.
The U.S. Lawyer credited the West Virginia Places of work of the Insurance coverage Commissioner, the state Auditor’s Workplace and the FBI for investigating the case.
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