Man Steals From City of Detroit to Donate to Church
A City of Detroit employee faces the possibility of going to prison for up to 10 years. The employee allegedly wanted to buy new kitchen equipment for his church but have the City of Detroit foot the bill, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Charlie Golden, the assistant superintendent of buildings, was arraigned Thursday on theft and bribery charges. He is accused of stealing $10,000 in city funds to pay for an exhaust fan and hood over a deep fryer at his church.
Golden is a reverend at a local church, Perfecting Freedom Church on Fenkell Street in Detroit.
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According to the criminal complaint, Golden convinced a contractor to submit exaggerated and inflated invoices to the city for projects that were already being done. He then proceeded to use those funds to pay for the new kitchen equipment. The contractor who contacted authorities about the scam also had other contracts that were supervised by Golden.
Golden lawyer Kimberly Stout said in a statement that "nothing is always as it appears on paper. He's a good man, and he has a good family."
Currently, Golden is not working for the city. He had filed his retirement papers a few weeks ago.
Also according to the complaint Golden also wanted the contractor to pay for a new fence at the church several years ago.
The contractor reported the situation to city officials, who referred the matter to the public Corruption Task Force. Through monitoring and secretly recorded conversations, federal agents have said they have verified the contractor's story.
A taped conversation with the witness showed Golden's efforts to conceal the plot.
