John Shellock, ex-treasurer of Carle Place firefighter charity, stole nearly $500G from group, DA says

The former treasurer of a Carle Place firefighter charity surrendered to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday morning, accused of embezzling nearly $500,000 from the organization over 10 years, authorities said.

John Shellock, 84, of Westbury, who retired from the department about 20 years ago, was charged with second-degree grand larceny after stealing from the Carle Place Volunteer & Exempt Firemen's Benevolent Association, according to prosecutors.

He pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. His Legal Aid attorney declined to comment.

For the last 30 years, Shellock oversaw the funds for the benevolent association, which gets its money from state insurance funds and member dues. It was set up in 1940 under state legislation to help pay for members' funerals and provide financial assistance to disabled firefighters.

The district attorney’s office said Shellock began forging signatures on the organization’s checks in 2013 to funnel money into a secret Bank of America account he opened on behalf of the benevolent association. He then allegedly wrote checks from that account to himself and used the money to pay his credit card bills, according to prosecutors.

"For three decades this defendant was entrusted with securing the Carle Place Firemen’s Benevolent Association’s financial health and ensuring firefighters and their families were provided relief at their most difficult moments," Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. "But for the last 10 years, John Shellock allegedly treated the organization’s coffers like a personal checking account, writing checks to himself and paying off credit card debts, stealing a total of nearly half a million dollars of their funds while undermining the benevolent association’s mission."

Association spokesman Robert Leonard said the benevolent association uncovered "concerning issues" regarding the organization’s finances in October 2023 and reported them to the Nassau County Police Department. He said the organization has cooperated with prosecutors and police.

Since the alleged fraud has been uncovered, the group hardened its spending process in "a diligent effort to prevent any further issues of this nature in the future."

The fire department, which is separate from the benevolent association, said that none of the operating funds were misspent and Shellock’s alleged crime did not impact service.

"The members of the Carle Place Fire Department are saddened by these allegations related to funds that are designated to assist our members and their families in their time of need," the department said in a statement. "We want to emphasize to the residents of our community and our partners in local government that none of the funds involved in these issues are a part of the CPFD’s annual operating or capital budgets or our annual fund drive. These unfortunate events have had no impact on the funding of fire and EMS services to our community."

Shellock is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 15. He faces up to 5 to 15 years in prison if convicted.