Phoenix firefighter, his supervisor and another employee accused of fraud, city says

PHOENIX - A firefighter, his supervisor, and another city of Phoenix employee are accused of committing fraud by taking thousands of dollars from the government.

The city of Phoenix released details on Sept. 27 about two separate investigations into the three employees involved in alleged fraud.

The first case involves a firefighter allegedly being paid by the city, although he didn't show up for work for more than a year.

"According to the Phoenix Police Department investigation, the employee was paying others to cover his shifts while he operated his own business," the city said.

His supervisor knew what was going on, detectives say.

"Police forwarded the case to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, recommending criminal charges be filed against both the employee and his supervisor," the city says.

The city didn't say if the firefighter and his supervisor were still employed.

The second case involves a now-former city employee who's accused of defrauding $70,000 from the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program.

"The employee is accused of falsely helping relatives receive approval for ERA funds," the city alleges. "While immediately initiating a criminal investigation into the ERA funds, the city also launched an internal investigation as well as an audit of policies and procedures. The employee has resigned and will be required to pay back the funds, which will be returned to the Federal treasury."

The Phoenix Police Department is recommending charges be forwarded to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office against this employee.

No names have been released in these cases.

The city says the tips for these cases came in through integrity hotlines.

You can report potential fraud by going to the city's website here: https://www.phoenix.gov/auditor/fraud-reporting