Quick Answer: A Warren, Michigan city employee was sentenced to 18 months probation and $600 in fines for using municipal equipment to illegally copy and sell polka DVDs for profit. This case demonstrates that public employees face criminal charges and financial penalties when they misuse taxpayer-funded resources for personal gain.
A veteran Warren, Michigan employee who used city equipment to make bootleg polka party DVDs for profit will serve 18 months of probation and pay $600 in restitution and fines.
Frederic DeChausse, a cable specialist for Warren TV, pleaded no contest on Monday to a misdemeanor count of copying audiovisual recording for gain and embezzlement.
Under a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a charge of copying audiovisual recordings for gain.
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DeChausse, 71, was arrested last month after an undercover officer purchased 11 polka DVDs from DeChausse for $150.
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