FBI Investigating Missing Port Chester FD Equipment

PORT CHESTER, NY — Missing electrical equipment worth about $30,000 and meant for the Port Chester Fire Department is being investigated by the FBI. Village Police Chief Richard Conway said there is a connection to an earlier case involving Robert Gerardi, the former treasurer of the Putnam Engine and Hose Company, who admitted he stole more than $38,000 to cover debts.

Conway said his department was trying to determine whether there was a crime committed or if the equipment was lost or unable to be found, the Journal News said.

The equipment was purchased from a company for whom Gerardi worked a couple of years ago.

The former fire department volunteer was arrested and pleaded guilty in December to embezzling money. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 8.

Gerardi, 62, of Port Chester, was elected to the position of treasurer of Putnam Engine & Hose in October 2016. He embezzled money from the volunteer fire company by making withdrawals from its bank accounts and by charging personal expenses to its debit card. He told the president of Putnam Engine & Hose that the missing funds had been stolen from the bank accounts. The fire company put him on leave in 2017 and began investigating the problem.

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