By David K. Li - NBC News
This Thursday they arrested a firefighter in Dallas who told his bosses that he had contracted the coronavirus to get $ 12,000 in sick pay,
when in fact he stayed at a resort during the time he was given off
, according to authorities.
William Jordan Carter, 38, of Rowlett, Texas, was charged with stealing $ 12,548.86 from public funds as part of a scheme he carried out between March 24 and April 23.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed by Dallas Police Detective Lee Allen on Thursday, Carter obtained sick leave after telling his bosses on March 24 that his spouse had tested positive for COVID-19.
A week later, she said her daughter had also contracted the virus.
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Two days before his scheduled return to work, Carter told his supervisor that he, too, had tested positive.
Dallas Deputy Fire Chief Lauren Johnson asked Carter for documentation to prove his illness and that's when his story fell apart.
"Witness Johnson asked [Carter] if anything he said was true and he replied, 'I guess not," Allen wrote.
"Witness Johnson asked, 'What made you do this?'
Suspect Carter replied, 'Greed, I guess.'
The detective added that Johnson had asked him if he had done it just to avoid going to work
.
He said "yes".
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Police obtained Carter's bank records and
discovered that he had spent $ 1,348.40 between April 15 and 18 at the Kalahari resort
near Round Rock.
The resort boasts of having "America's largest indoor water park."
Carter, who was arrested on Friday, was not on the Dallas jail inmate records Wednesday.
The firefighter could not immediately be reached by our sister network NBC News at phone numbers listed in public records for comment, and it was unclear whether the suspect had retained an attorney.
Archive image of a float promoting the Kalahari amusement water park in Dallas, Texas.
IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR KALAHARI RESORTS - Kalahari Resorts and Conventions 'Splashin' Safari float appears in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York.
The family-owned resorts are home to America's Largest Indoor Waterparks.
For more information visit www.KalahariResorts.com.
(Diane Bondareff / AP Images for Kalahari Resorts) AP
Dallas Firefighters Association President Jim McDade confirmed that Carter, who normally works Station 7, has been suspended by the department, but declined any further comment.
