Ex-fire chief gets 41 months in prison

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A former Kentucky fire chief has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for money laundering and mail and wire fraud for taking money intended for a children's charity and using it to pay for vacations, taxes on vehicles and a condo in Florida.

U.S. District judge John G. Heyburn on Monday ordered former McMahon Fire Chief Paul Barth to pay the Crusade for Children $190,000 in restitution and another $8,277 to the fire district.

Barth pleaded guilty in June. Investigators say Barth funneled funds from the Crusade for Children from January 2001 through November 2009 into a bank account he controlled, then spent the money on himself. During a seven-year period, investigators say, Barth also used fire district funds for his own use.