Quincy man accused of stealing
$46K from Norwell union
A Quincy man is being held on $99,000 bail in Connecticut after allegedly embezzling about $46,000 from the Norwell firefighters union, Norwell Deputy Police Chief John Suurhans said in a statement.
Truong Nguyen, 35, a firefighter and EMT-paramedic with the Norwell Fire Department and treasurer of the firefighters union, was arrested at Foxwoods Casino by the Connecticut State Police on Monday, police say.
On April 8, police said, Norwell Fire Chief Andrew Reardon informed the Norwell police that the president of the union had been notified by Citizen’s Bank of an overdraft and that a “large sum of money” was missing from the union’s checking account.
“We were shocked to find that there might be some money missing,” said Joe Davis, president of the Norwell firefighters union.
Union members then contacted Nguyen, who said he would bring the account's books and bank statements on April 10, but did not respond to further phone calls and did not return to work, police say.
Nguyen has been suspended without pay, Davis said.
Police say that from October 2009 to April 2010, Nguyen wrote 24 checks, totaling more than $46,000, which he then cashed. Nguyen completely depleted the union’s account, which is used to sponsor local scholarships, boosters, and little league teams, Davis said.
It is unclear if Nguyen, who officials say has been with the department for six years and has been a union officer for four, is represented by an attorney. Before joining the Norwell Fire Department, Nguyen, who lives at 110 East Squantum St. in Quincy, worked for a private ambulance company, Reardon said.
The account is partially funded by donations, fundraisers and union dues, and Nguyen gave monthly updates about to the union membership about the account, said Davis, who said he felt “angry and betrayed” by Nguyen’s alleged misconduct.
“As the reports were given, they were believed,” Davis said.
Davis’s dismay is shared by many in the department, Reardon said. “This is not the kind of thing that anybody takes lightly and especially those people who are charged with the public trust like firefighters are,” he said.
“If the allegations are true, it should not in any way reflect on the other members of this organization in any way, shape, or form,” Reardon said.
Both Reardon and Davis said that they have not heard from Nguyen, despite attempts to reach him. Davis said Nguyen has not requested that the union provide him an attorney, and that fire department personnel are cooperating with the investigation.
“They want to see that the right thing is done,” Davis said.
Reardon says this is the first time he can remember the department facing such an event. "This is my 34th year and nothing like this has ever occurred," he said.
Embezzlement is a felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years, police said. It is unclear when Nguyen will be extradited to Massachusetts.
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