Richard Bopp accused of stealing $30K from Malverne FD

Five years ago, Malverne Fire Department officials heaped lavish praise on Richard Bopp when he was sworn in as fire chief.

Bopp, a decorated member of the volunteer department, held the chief’s position until 2021 when he became the department’s treasurer. Last week, the Nassau County District Attorney accused the 45-year-old of using that post to steal more than $30,000 from the department’s budget, fraudulently writing checks to himself and using the department's debit card to make ATM withdrawals in out-of-state casinos.

After he was arrested, Bopp was arraigned before Judge Madeleine Petrara-Perrin in the Nassau County Court on Friday and charged with corrupting the government, grand larceny, forgery, and falsifying business records, which are all felonies, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor, authorities said.

Bopp pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

“Richard Bopp served for more than five years in high-ranking positions in the Malverne Fire Department, and in 2021, allegedly began using his standing and access to steal government funds,” District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “Bopp allegedly forged signatures, wrote himself checks and made dozens of debit card transactions and ATM withdrawals in locations like Las Vegas and Atlantic City totaling more than $30,000.

“The Malverne Fire Department depends on these resources to serve the surrounding community and respond in a crisis,” she added. “This defendant’s alleged actions siphoned precious funds away from that essential objective.”

Prosecutors alleged that Bopp had the authority to write checks on behalf of the fire department, but it required approval by a council and the signatures of Treasurer Bopp and a chief or deputy chief. According to the investigation, the council did not approve the checks and Bopp is accused of forging the signatures of the others.

Bopp was charged with writing more than $5,000 in unauthorized and forged checks to himself, withdrawing more than $20,000 at ATMs and making nearly $5,000 in unauthorized purchases on a debit card belonging to the department, according to prosecutors.

A subsequent investigation concluded that most of the unauthorized transactions occurred between July 7, 2021, and May 1, 2023.

The accusations are quite a departure from the department’s previous affiliation with Bopp, who was seen as bringing the department to “great new heights” when he was sworn in as fire chief.

In an April 16, 2019 Facebook post, after Bopp was sworn in, the department said, “Tonight, the Malverne Fire Department turns a page to a great new chapter for the membership and the village… while keeping every resident safe at every hour with passion and continue to give tirelessly and selflessly to a wonderful community & great dedicated crew of ‘professional’ volunteers. Congratulations Chief of Department Richard Bopp.”

Prosecutors said that they were first alerted to the alleged fraudulent transactions in August, when a Malverne Village attorney reported discrepancies in the accounting.

Prior to his arrest, Bopp resigned from the department, and surrendered to authorities on the same day as his arraignment. He is due back in court on Feb. 16. If convicted of all the charges, he faces up to seven years in prison.