Three Phoenix employees are accused of fraud, allegedly having taken tens of thousands of dollars from the government.

The first case involves a Phoenix firefighter and his supervisor. The city says a Phoenix police investigation found the firefighter was collecting pay for at least a year without showing up for work. Detectives say his supervisor knew he paid others to cover his shifts while he ran a personal business.

In the second case, an employee is accused of defrauding $70,000 from the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program by falsely helping relatives receive money. 

According to a city news release, “While immediately initiating a criminal investigation into the ERA funds, the city also launched an internal investigation as well as an audit of policies and procedures. The employee has resigned and will be required to pay back the funds, which will be returned to the Federal treasury.”

In both cases, police recommend the county attorney file criminal charges. Phoenix is not releasing names until a charging decision is made. Tips to a city hotline and a public safety pension hotline prompted the investigations.