LOGAN COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – The father and son at the center of a funding misuse scandal have pleaded guilty in Logan County court.

Former Chapmanville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Thomas Perry and his son Cody Perry both pleaded guilty to charges relating to the investigation today, May 31, 2023, the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office says.

According to the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office, Thomas Perry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and faces 1-5 years in prison. The auditor’s office says they are also requesting a restitution of $16,000 be included in the sentence.

The auditor’s office says Cody Perry pleaded guilty to embezzlement and faces 1-10 years in prison. Officials with the auditor’s office say they are also requesting a restitution of $38,000 be included in the sentence.

The Perrys are scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, July 6, 2023.

In September 2022, both were indicted on five counts: two counts each of embezzlement, one charge each of conspiracy, and two counts each of fraudulent schemes. According to the indictment, the offenses happened between January 2015 and February 2021.

The investigation is just one of three that began in 2022 into volunteer departments in Logan County. A special prosecutor from the West Virginia State Auditors Office, Lauren Plymale, was sworn in to handle those investigations.

The West Virginia State Auditor’s Office said last year that one of those cases involved Lisa Wimmer, the former fire department secretary at the Logan County Fire Department #2, and it led to a felony conviction.