HORSESHOE BEND, Idaho — In the spring, KTVB reported that the Horseshoe Bend Fire Protection District announced a member was let go for allegedly using district money for personal use.
We uncovered who that person is.
KTVB obtained court documents showing Curtis Corvinus allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the Horseshoe Bend Volunteer Fire District while he was chief of the district. Corvinus currently sits on the Horseshoe Bend City Council.
Court documents show he now faces a felony charge of grand theft.
In a complaint filed in May, a Boise County prosecutor said while serving as a public officer or employee, Corvinus "misused public money" between November 2021 and March 2022.
The complaint alleges Corvinus used money from the Horseshoe Bend Fire Department's "burnout" account to pay for personal expenses, and did not deposit charitable cash donations.
In total, Corvinus is accused of using $3,668.53 of the district's money without authorization.
An amended complaint filed in early September changes the charge to grand theft, stating Corvinus wrongfully took the money with the "intent to appropriate to himself certain property of another".
KTVB reached out to the new fire chief, Jeff Johnson, who said he discovered the theft in the department's bank statements while he was assistant chief.
In April, Johnson posted on the department's Facebook - not naming Corvinus specifically - but saying a member fully admitted to using department money for personal use. Johnson says the Boise County Sheriff's Office investigated — and Corvinus cooperated.
While he was removed from the fire protection district, Corvinus currently holds his seat on Horseshoe Bend City Council. The two are separate entities.
An attorney for the city told KTVB that Idaho code states an office can become vacant "upon the office holder's conviction for a felony or other public offense involving a violation of his oath of office". An office can also become vacant if the official resigns in writing.
"Neither of those conditions have happened," Anthony Pantera wrote in an statement, "Mr. Corvinus has reportedly been charged with a felony, and under Idaho's Constitution is presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Therefore, Pantera says he is still qualified to hold elected office.
KTVB reached out to Mr. Corvinus through his city email to see if he wanted to comment. As of Thursday afternoon, there has been no response issued.
Corvinus originally had a preliminary hearing set for Monday in Boise County. The county prosecutor's office told me he plans to waive that, which means Corvinus will be arraigned in district court, likely sometime in October.
Meanwhile, Johnson said this revealed gaps in their system; on Facebook he wrote they're learning from this error and implementing checks and balances to ensure all funds are fully protected in the future.
He also said the whole town rallied together to support the district and help get it back on its feet.
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