Former Fraternal Order of Police Manager Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A former manager of two Fraternal Order of Police lodges pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky to wire fraud involving the embezzlement of more than $88,000 from union bank accounts.

The defendant, identified in the Justice Department release as the manager of FOP lodges in Lexington and Louisville, admitted to executing a scheme that transferred union funds for personal use between 2018 and 2022. The plea agreement specifies forfeiture of $88,562.37, the exact amount the government says was diverted.

The scope of the fraud covered two separate FOP lodges representing hundreds of rank-and-file police officers in Kentucky’s two largest cities. The money came from member dues and other lodge operating funds used for member benefits, training programs and legal defense costs.

The $88,562.37 represents a material share of the operating budgets maintained by the two lodges during the relevant period.

The guilty plea changes the case from prosecution to sentencing phase. U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell scheduled sentencing for August 13, 2026. Under the terms of the agreement, the defendant faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, though federal sentencing guidelines will determine the actual range after a presentence investigation report.

Downstream, the forfeiture order requires the defendant to surrender specific assets or cash equivalent by the sentencing date. The Fraternal Order of Police must reconcile its internal accounts and may face additional civil recovery actions to restore the diverted funds.

Federal auditors reviewing similar union-benefit organizations now have a recent precedent for increased scrutiny of lodge-level financial controls. The Justice Department noted the case as part of its ongoing enforcement against fraud involving employee-benefit and labor organizations.

This marks the latest federal conviction involving misuse of law-enforcement association funds. The original scheme began in 2018; the FBI and IRS opened the investigation after routine bank reviews flagged suspicious wire transfers in 2022. The Department of Justice filed the criminal information on April 30, 2026, leading to the guilty plea entered before Judge Caldwell on May 14.