Former Glen Ellyn Volunteer Firefighter Sentenced to Five Years for 'Cooking the Books'

A former volunteer firefighter with the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Co. was sentenced Friday to five years in jail for stealing more than $260,000 over the course of several years from the fire company.

David Garmoe, 56, of the 600 block of Prairie Avenue, Glen Ellyn entered a guilty Friday morning. He pleaded guilty to theft in excess of $100,000, a Class 1 Felony, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. Judge Daniel Guerin handed down the sentence.

Garmoe was arrested in May 2011 and charged with allegedly stealing more than $260,000 between 2004 and early 2011 from the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Co., Glen Ellyn Patch reported. He was arrested on May 13, 2011 and was later  with the condition that he stay away from the premises of the fire station and that he turn over his passport to the Glen Ellyn Police Department. 

Garmoe wrote unauthorized checks to himself and his business from the Fire Company’s bank account, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. In February 2011, officials with the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company discovered a discrepancy in the Company’s bank account and contacted the Glen Ellyn Police Department.

“Over the course of seven years, Mr. Garmoe siphoned more than a quarter of a million dollars from the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. “He cooked the books to benefit himself at the expense of those who had trusted him and for this he will spend the next five years of his life behind bars. It is very important to note however, that Mr. Garmoe acted alone and that his actions are in no way indicative of the good men and women of the Glen Ellyn Volunteer Fire Company or the Glen Ellyn Fire Department. These brave men and women serve their community honestly and admirably.”

In addition to serving his prison sentence, Garmoe was also ordered to pay full restitution in the amount of $262.577.33. To date he has repaid approximately $44,430, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Garmoe was out on bond at the time of the plea. He was taken into custody Friday morning. He must serve 50 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

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