Fire Captain Pleads Not Guilty to Union Theft

A Los Angeles County Fire Department captain Monday pleaded not guilty to charges that he siphoned off more than $125,000 from the firefighters’ union over a five-year period.

Ronald J. Creath, 54, of Big Bear Lake was freed on his own recognizance after entering the plea to felony grand theft and tax fraud charges in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas R. Wenke alleged that between Jan. 1, 1985, and Dec. 31, 1990, Creath co-mingled his personal finances and union expenses on three charge accounts that were paid by Firefighters Union Local 1014. Creath also purportedly used union funds to pay for two charge cards used by his wife for personal expenses, the prosecutor said.

In addition, Creath allegedly made expense claims to the union’s Insurance Trust section for trip expenses and Diners Club charges, then failed to reimburse the union, a practice Wenke described as “double-dipping.”