The former fire chief of Gananoque and Leeds and Thousand Islands Township was sentenced to jail on fraud charges on Tuesday.
Gerry Bennett was convicted of fraud in July after pleading guilty to four counts in defrauding the municipalities of over $65,000. He also pleaded guilty to one count of theft, one count of breach of trust and one count of forgery.
He appeared in a Brockville court on Tuesday, where he was sentenced to nine months in jail and one year of probation. He was also prohibited from participating in any kind of volunteer or municipal organization for 10 years.
In 2016, Bennett was let go after an internal investigation revealed discrepancies in invoices and billing practices.
Two years later, in late 2018, he was accused of using forged invoices to take money from the town of Gananoque, Leeds and Thousand Islands and the local firefighters’ association.
His sentence also involved restitution to those three parties, with the court ordering him to pay thousands of dollars to the Town, the Township and the association.
Global News was not able to confirm the amount of the restitution.
WATCH: (Dec. 13, 2018) Former Gananoque and Leeds and Thousand Islands Fire Chief faces 25 charges