Former Kickapoo firefighters indicted for wire fraud
The former chief of the Kickapoo Tribal Volunteer Fire Department and a former volunteer firefighter have been indicted on federal charges of intentionally setting fires their department was paid by the federal government to fight, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Wednesday.
Former chief Stephen D. Ramirez, 26, and former firefighter Arlene M. Negonsott, 34, both of Horton, have been charged with four counts of wire fraud, Beall said. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count, it was reported.
The indictment alleges that Ramirez recruited Negonsott to set six fires on the Kickapoo Reservation between July and November of 2015 that the Kickapoo fire department was called to fight.
The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas contracted with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide fire suppression services on the reservation. The contract called for the BIA to pay the tribe $600 for each fire it fought.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Interior-Office of Inspector General, the Kickapoo Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Indictments contain allegations of criminal conduct, and defendants in all criminal cases are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.