PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A former Rhode Island fire chief has been ordered to repay nearly $200,000 in retirement benefits that prosecutors say he lied to obtain.
Paul Labbadia was also sentenced to three years’ probation Tuesday for allegedly exaggerating his years of service in North Providence when filing for his pension.
Prosecutors say he fraudulently obtained $178,000 in benefits from the town and $45,000 from the state. He pleaded no contest in January to charges including filing false documents.
After his time in North Providence, Labbadia went on to be the chief in Coventry. He was fired in 2014 after a WPRI-TV report that he used a department vehicle to play golf and drink before returning to work.
Labbadia apologized at his sentencing.
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