The ex-secretary of a Los Angeles labor union representing firefighters was charged Wednesday, June 17, with grand theft and forgery after he allegedly transferred money from the union’s bank account to his own accounts to make mortgage payments, RV loan payments and participate in online gambling, authorities said.
Adam Richard Walker, who had served as secretary for the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City for two years and was its foundation’s chairman, was arrested Wednesday around 7 a.m., California Attorney General Rob Bonta said.
In all, investigators accused Walker of stealing nearly $83,000 from the nonprofit from December 2022 to January 2024. Walker opened a foundation bank account and named himself as the sole signer, then used the account to systematically shift the foundation’s funds into his personal accounts, authorities said.
He was also accused of fabricating personal credit-card reimbursements and using online services to forge fake receipts, Bonta said.
Walker was charged with grand theft by employee or agent and forgery relating to items exceeding $950 in value, with aggravating circumstances that the theft was of great monetary value and that he took advantage of a position of trust, Bonta said.
“When someone entrusted with managing those resources uses them for financial gain, that erodes public trust,” Bonta said during a virtual press conference. “They can inflict significant harm on our communities and the people they serve.”
Walker was booked into jail on $50,000 bail according to an arrest warrant document provided by the California Attorney General’s Office.
Walker, along with other top officials at the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, was suspended in May after an audit conducted by the International Association of Fire Fighters, a parent organization, found over $800,000 in credit-card spending by the union that could not be accounted for.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the investigation into the union and its former officers was ongoing, but did not say whether others could also face charges.
Among those suspended from the union was its president, Freddy Escobar, who took to social media to deny allegations that he had spent more than $300,000 on his union credit card from July 2018 to November 2024 in which the parent group said there was no way to determine that those funds were used for “legitimate union expenditures.”
The investigation into Walker began after an officer flagged concerns in October 2024 about improper record-keeping to the IAFF, authorities said.
The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City represents more than 3,600 members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, and its nonprofit foundation provides financial aid to firefighters and their families facing economic hardship due to injury, illness or death, while also funding fire-training programs.