The former chief of the Esperance Volunteer Fire Department was arrested for allegedly stealing approximately $10,000 from the Esperance Fire and Rescue Squad and the Fallen Firefighter Memorial, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced today. The defendant, Matthew Deffer, 44, of Esperance, was scheduled to be arraigned in the Schoharie County Centralized Arraignment Part on May 29.
“Matthew Deffer betrayed his position of trust as fire chief by allegedly stealing money meant to protect his neighbors and honor those who sacrificed themselves for their community,” DiNapoli said. “Thanks to our partnership with the State Police, he will now be held accountable.”
“A multi-agency investigation determined that the suspect in this case violated the public trust by evading his oath and allegedly stealing from the department and Fallen Firefighter Memorial,” James said. “Anyone who uses their trusted position to inflict public corruption will face consequences. I commend our members and the Comptroller’s Office for their partnership to ensure that justice will be fully served.”
As fire chief, Deffer had signatory authority and access to the Village of Esperance EMS account. He is alleged to have written two checks to himself from the EMS account totaling about $3,900. After the village discovered the thefts, Deffer allegedly claimed to repay the money by check, but that check ultimately bounced. His father eventually repaid the funds.
After receiving allegations regarding this theft, an investigation and forensic analysis revealed that Deffer allegedly stole an additional $5,751 from the Schoharie Fallen Firefighters Memorial fund account, which he had sole access to. He allegedly transferred $2,900 in fire department funds to the memorial account and drained the account of all its funds between May and August of 2025.
The charges filed in this case are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at https://www.osc.ny.gov/investigations, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.