Covington Fire Chief Michael Naifeh, who is also a county commissioner, was indicted Tuesday on charges of official misconduct and theft under $1,000 by the Tipton County Grand Jury.
According to the state comptroller’s investigative report, he is being accused of using the city credit card to purchase personal items. Totaling $603.13, the card was used four times in February 2018 to purchase sports equipment:
- 13 items from JK Davis Officials Supplies (umpiring accessories, bags, belt, jacket, shirt, pants, and a hat) and paid for directly on the website for $298.87 on Feb. 10, 2018
- an Ultramailer (an email marketing software) which was ordered and paid for via the PayPal linked account on Feb. 19, 2018 for $43.99; Naifeh allegedly disputed this charge, calling it a scam, the comptroller said, however the credit card company was unable to identify it as such
- two pairs of black umpire shoes from BP Athletics paid for via his personal PayPal account on Feb. 19, 2018 he linked to the city’s credit card totaling $172.80
- an umpire shirt and jacket from Sports Fan Outlet paid for directly on the website for $87.47 on Feb. 20, 2018
The report states Naifeh told investigators he used the city credit card due to personal cash flow problems and intended to reimburse the city fully, which he did on April 3, 2018.
The findings show during the investigation Naifeh showed remorse.
“Mr. Naifeh apologized for his actions, stating he never intended to break the public’s trust,” it said.
The state comptroller began investigating a fraud alert complaint was made by Covington Mayor Justin Hanson on April 5, 2018. Legally, Hanson is obligated to report these incidents to the state and take administrative action after the findings have been released. He did receive a written reprimand from Hanson.
When he began his employment with the city, Naifeh signed an agreement in which he agreed he would not use the city’s credit card for personal use.
A statement released by Hanson Tuesday evening said Naifeh notified him he’d inadvertently used the city credit card and has made restitution.
“Since the matter involved public finances, I felt obligated to inform the comptroller of the treasury for further investigation, and I did so immediately,” Hanson said Tuesday night. “The comptroller’s investigation has obviously taken a long time, much longer than I expected. I have not seen their report, findings or additional evidence that has been gleaned from that investigation.”
Hanson said Naifeh has been suspended with pay while he works to obtain to further details pertinent to the investigation.
Elected in August, Naifeh has only served a few months of his four-year term on the county commission but has been Covington’s top firefighter for nearly four years.
Naifeh began his fire services career almost three decades ago, telling The Leader he began as a volunteer in Mason when his father was mayor.
He was a firefighter in Covington, then Memphis, before being named Covington’s chief in April 2015. Naifeh has also served in law enforcement.
Active in the community, he is a Rotarian and also a member of several local boards.
Naifeh turned himself in Tuesday afternoon, was booked into the Tipton County Jail on Tuesday, and will be formally arraigned next week.
The official misconduct charge is a Class E felony and the theft charge is a Class A misdemeanor.
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