Former Drug Task Force Director Admits Stealing Federal Dollars
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 28, 2014 |
COVINGTON, KY—The former executive director of a federally funded northern Kentucky drug task force has admitted he stole money that belonged to the task force.
Timothy George Fegan, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government money. Fegan, who worked for the Buffalo Trace/Gateway Narcotics Task Force at the time, wrongfully took thousands of dollars from the organization over an extended period. Fegan acknowledged that he took cash proceeds that task force agents had seized during drug investigations and took money that the task force kept on hand to perform undercover drug buys.
Between November 2011 and November 2012, the task force received approximately $150,000 in federal funding. Fegan admitted that he stole thousands of dollars in task force funds during this period. At sentencing, the vourt will determine the total amount of money that Fegan stole from the task force, during the period from December 31, 2009 to November 2012.
The Buffalo Trace/Gateway Narcotics Task Force was organized by several county and city governments and was responsible for the investigation of drug crimes in various northern and eastern Kentucky counties. The task force was funded by federal and state grants and contributions from the county and city governments that formed the task force. The task force’s operations are based in Maysville, Kentucky, and Fegan worked for the task force during this period, including serving as interim executive director from December 31, 2009 through March 2010 and executive director from April 2010 until November 2012. The task force ceased its operations in early 2013.
Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Perrye Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew T. Boone is prosecuting this case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office on behalf of the federal government.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 19, 2014. The theft of government money offense carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal statutes.