FBI agents on Thursday arrested the longtime Argyle fire chief and searched the Argyle Fire Department but court documents that could detail the case remained sealed.
Agents were seen inside the fire department’s administrative office.
“You can’t be in here,” an agent told a reporter who walked inside the fire station.
FBI spokeswoman Melinda Urbina confirmed the agency was executing a search warrant and that Chief Mac Hohenberger, 63, was arrested Thursday afternoon at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he returned home from a trip to Las Vegas.
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Argyle firefighters have complained in recent months about irregularities involving their pension funds.
In November 2021, former firefighter Harold "Trey" Ring filed a federal lawsuit against the fire department alleging he was fired after raising questions about misappropriated pension money which involved 46 Argyle firefighters over the past five years.
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Ring's attorney, Eric Roberson of Dallas, said he is trying to get the lawsuit certified as a class-action on behalf of all the firefighters.
"We're surprised the FBI has raided the fire department but not shocked," Roberson said Thursday. "The financial mismanagement they've admitted to already is clear."
In an answer to the complaint, the fire department denied "each and every" accusation.
Urbina would not confirm the pension fund had anything to do with the FBI investigation.
In a statement, the Argyle Professional Firefighters Association said it had been asking for an independent investigation into missing or mismanaged retirement funds for more than a year.
"Make no mistake, public servants have been harmed by these actions and we hope for a swift and fair investigation and carriage of justice," the statement said.
A separate statement from Emergency Services District 1, as the fire department is formally known, said it was made aware of the investigation involving an "employee" earlier Thursday and pledged to cooperate with the FBI.
The district also said calls for emergency services would not be impacted.
Argyle Mayor Bryan Livingston said he was surprised by the arrest and noted the fire district serves the city but is a separate government entity.
"The men and women of the fire department are our heroes," he said. "Allegations of wrongdoing involving the leadership of this organization are deeply saddening."
