South King County fire official held in $500,000 fraud case

An assistant fire chief was arrested by federal agents Thursday on charges of defrauding South King County Fire & Rescue of more than $500,000 over several years.

According to documents filed in U.S. District Court, 51-year-old Grant G. Gaspard, of Olympia, used purchase orders and his department credit card to buy thousands of dollars worth of high-end photography and computer equipment never received by the fire department.

Many of the items were sent to Gaspard's home or a mailbox and shipping facility in Tumwater, court documents allege.

In an affidavit written by an agent with the FBI, Gaspard is alleged to have bought a single Nikon camera lens worth more than $8,000, a high-definition Sony television, a Blu-ray player, Apple computers, night-vision scopes, and rifle scopes and laser sights for firearms designed for military personnel.

Fire Chief Allen D. Church said in a statement Thursday that he called the FBI last month after a fire-district employee noticed "serious irregularities" in the district's accounts.

Church said the irregularities did not show up in an audit of the department, which covers 41 square miles of Federal Way, Des Moines and unincorporated King County, and has 160 employees and a budget of $24 million.

Gaspard was placed on administrative leave July 14, and he resigned by the end of the month. He was a 27-year veteran of the department.

The criminal complaint charges Gaspard with three counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Gaspard made his initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Seattle before Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida and was ordered held without bail at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac pending a court hearing Tuesday.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com