Officers in the 1st Division were conducting a criminal investigation of fraud to some local area businesses. The biggest problem for us was that the subject was trying to say that he was collecting money for the Louisville- Jefferson County Fraternal Order of Police. Officers received a tip from a local business that felt something just wasn't right.
The business owner told Officers that the subject was planning on returning in a couple of days and that they would call. When the Officers arrived the subject took off. During a foot chase the subject injured himself jumping over a wall. When he was apprehended Officers learned that the subject was wanted in North Carolina, Indiana and that he had felony warrants here in Jefferson County.
The subject's name is Anthony George Stevens. He gave a Clarksville Indiana address and a date of birth of 10/24/1975.
President Bill Keeling was shocked by the news that this subject chose to utilize the name of the Fraternal Order of Police to defraud people of their money. The reputation of our organization has been tarnished by this individual's criminal acts. President Bill Keeling will send a letter of apology to each business that the subject admitted to defrauding. While our organization did nothing wrong, we feel that it is up to us to make sure that when someone calls from our Louisville-Jefferson County Fundraiser that the public knows we have good people working for us and everything is above board.
Denis Spalding, the Kentucky State Lodge Secretary and Lodge 614 Financial Secretary also oversees the joint fundraiser for the 8 FOP Lodges in Jefferson County. Denis states that the Joint Fundraiser has worked diligently over the past 12 years to maintain its reputation in our community and is considering further legal action against this subject or anyone else who attempts to tarnish its reputation by the use of its name or efforts. Anyone who has any concerns over a call or a solicitation should contact their local Police or FOP Lodge to verify the source of the solicitation. The Joint Fundraiser also applauds the efforts of the Officers and Detectives involved but most of all the business operators who took the effort to call them.
Lodge 614 plans on following up on the prosecution of this subject. Again we apologize to anyone that thought they were helping out our organization and were taken in by this con artist. We would like to give special thanks to the business owners that contacted our Officers. We would also like to thank the 1st Division Officers and Detectives and the Fraud Unit Detectives for their fine work in apprehending this criminal.