KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A St. Joseph police officer and his wife are accused of spending $99,000 in funding from a local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police for personal use.
Michael A. Hardin, 46, and Sarah J. Hardin, 42, allegedly used the the police union's debit cards to complete the transactions.
The couple were charged in a seven-count indictment on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri’s office.
Michael Hardin was the president of the Fraternal Order of Police Northwest Missouri Lodge #3 for 10 years. His wife was the treasurer of the lodge for the same amount of time.
The couple allegedly used debit cards linked to the bank accounts of Lodge #3 from December 2015 to December 2019.
Sarah Hardin allegedly used two debit cars to purchase things at Walmart, Menards, Party City, Hy-Vee and other places for personal items and expenses.
Michael Hardin also allegedly used one debit card to make purchases from several businesses, including a Hampton Inn.
Sarah is charged with four counts of wire fraud while Michael is charged with three counts of wire fraud.
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