Couple Charged With Stealing Funds Raised For Firefighters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a Florida police officer and firefighter kept around $12,000 after hosting a fundraiser for the families of dead first responders.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release Wednesday that Tallahassee police officer Jennifer Amison and her husband, Tallahassee firefighter Joseph Amison, face charges of organized scheme to defraud, failure to apply contributions in a manner substantially consistent with solicitation and grand theft.

A probable cause affidavit says the Amisons held a fundraiser in February following the 2016 deaths of two Tallahassee fighters, as well as the daughter of a Tallahassee firefighter. Detectives began investigating in May, after nearly three months had passed without payments to the families.

The Amisons have both been placed on administrative leave. An attorney for Jennifer Amison says the couple denies misappropriating any money.