MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A former U.S. Air Force fire chief is accused of stealing more than $133,000 in charity donations.
James E. Podolske Jr., 59, of Panama City, was indicted in federal court in Wisconsin on charges of procurement fraud and wire fraud in connection with incidents between 2009 and 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Podolske is accused of actively seeking donations for an awards banquet and a charity golf outing from contractors and subcontractors seeking to do business with the Air Force and the Department of Defense.
While some of the funds were given to charity, most of the money went into his personal bank account and was used to make credit card payments, for vacations and gambling at Gulf Shore casinos, investigators said.
Podolske is also accused of releasing bid proposal information to an unnamed corporate defense contractor to give it a competitive edge in the bidding process.
According to a USAF release, Podolske was named chief of Air Force Fire Emergency Services in 2013.
Coming to the job with 37 years of Air Force firefighting experience, he oversaw 9,200 military and civilian firefighters, the release said.
Podolske also managed the Air Force fire vehicle modernization program and spearheaded the development of the P-34 Rapid Intervention Vehicle, the first USAF firefighting vehicle to use ultra-high pressure firefighting technology.
Podolske allegedly gave the bid information a contractor identified only as “Company A” in February 2013, the DOJ release said.
The case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigation Service and the Naval Criminal Investigation Service.
If convicted, Podolske could face 25 years in federal prison and fines totaling $500,000.