Geneva streets superintendent charged with stealing city funds

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Updated: March 6, 2012 8:19AM

GENEVA — The city’s streets superintendent is facing felony charges for making more than $24,000 worth of unauthorized purchases on a city credit card since 2004, police said Friday.

Steve LeMaire, 55, is charged with felony theft. Police did not release LeMaire’s address.

LeMaire has been suspended since Jan. 12, after police began investigating whether he had misused city funds. On Jan. 11, the director of public works was reviewing monthly credit card statements and noticed suspicious purchases by LeMaire, police said. Police Chief Steve Mexin said the purchases were from a vendor that does not normally do business with the city.

That discovery led the public works director to review LeMaire’s past credit cards purchases, which revealed many other suspicious items, dating as far back as 2004, police said. Police did not elaborate on what was suspicious about other purchases.

In total, the investigation found that LeMaire had made $24,000 worth of inappropriate charges on the city credit card.

The findings were presented to a grand jury, which indicted LeMaire for the intentional misuse of funds, police said. Police said LeMaire was cooperative throughout the investigation.

As of Friday evening, arrangements were being made for LeMaire to surrender to Geneva police. He would need to post $2,500 to be released. His first court date has not been set.

If convicted, LeMaire faces between four and 15 years in prison, and up to $25,000 in fines.