St. Albans man admits to insurance fraud and defrauding local volunteer fire department

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A St. Albans man pleaded guilty Wednesday to filing false insurance claims and defrauding a local volunteer fire department.

According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, 43-year-old Donald Ennis pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

The release said he admitted to intentionally setting his residence on Ridgeview Way on fire in 2021, earning him $347,237.70 from false insurance claims.

Ennis also admitted to defrauding a volunteer fire department in the Tornado area of Kanawha County while working as its finance and operations manager, a job he had worked since at least 2009. From some time prior to March 19, 2020, through around September 18, 2022, Ennis used the department’s debit card to fraudulently withdraw $153,728 in department funds for his own benefit.

Ennis is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18, 2024, where he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He will also be required to pay $500,965.70 in restitution.

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