Southern Illinois News

Former Assistant Director of Massac County Emergency Management Agency, Christopher Thompson, has been indicted on eight counts for defrauding the county and local businesses of more than $49,000 in goods and services.

A recent news release from U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said that Thompson, 29, of Kevil, Kentucky was charged on counts of wire fraud and mail fraud. Between Nov. 2018 and Sept. 2019, Thompson devised and carried out a scheme for his own personal gain, told by The Southern Illinoisian.

The indictment stated that Thompson allegedly leveraged his position with the EMA to use existing EMA accounts and lines of credit, and establish new lines of credit under the EMA's name. He then made an attempt to hide his fraudulent activities by having purchase receipts sent to his work email and hiding paper bills in his office.

Among the businesses Thompson allegedly defrauded were John Deere Financial, Amazon, AT&T, Newegg, Office Depot, and Plaza Tire. Ipads and a MacBook pro were some of the items Thompson purchased.

The maximum possible sentence is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Currently, Thompson is out of bond as he awaits his trial that is set for Nov. 30, 2020, in Benton.

Wire fraud is broad and can include writings, signs, signals, or pictures transmitted by wire communications such as the internet, radio, television, etc. It compares to regular fraud but has four key components including doing a fraudulent activity with intent.

Massac County Emergency Management Agency's mission is "to provide citizens and entities of Massac County, a system of emergency management that coordinates community resources in an effort to protect lives, property, and the environment through preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery from all-natural, man-made and terrorist hazards that may impact the citizens of Massac County, the State of Illinois, or the United States of America," told by their Facebook page.