Port Jefferson firefighter sentenced in grant request forgery case

UPDATE @ 10:55 a.m.

A Port Jefferson volunteer firefighter was sentenced today after admitting to attempting to forge the mayor’s signature on a state grant request.

Visiting Judge Donald Luce sentenced Patrick Goldschmidt, of Ft. Loramie, to two years’ probation, $250 fine, and 80 hours of community service in Sidney Municipal Court.

Goldschmidt, a retiree from the U.S. Air Force, pleaded guilty to attempted forgery in April.

Authorities said the defendant signed the mayor’s name to acquire a $10,000 fire equipment grant for the Port Jefferson fire department.

During today’s court proceeding, Goldschmidt apologized for his actions. If he violates the terms of his probation, he could face up to 6 months in jail.

EARLIER

A man who is a member of the Port Jefferson and Lockington fire companies has been found guilty of attempting to forge the Port Jefferson mayor’s signature on a state grant request.

Patrick Goldschmidt, of Ft. Loramie, admitted to a state polygraph examiner that he forged the name of Port Jefferson Mayor Stephen Butterfield on paperwork for a $10,000 state fire equipment grant, according to a release from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Goldschmidt pleaded guilty today to an attempted forgery charge, first degree misdemeanor, in Sidney Municipal Court as part of an agreement with the prosecutor’s office.

The plea ends a seven-month investigation by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office which involved the Ohio BCI crime lab for handwriting analysis.

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