Another Hollidaysburg firefighter is now facing charges after being accused of embezzling money from a federal grant program. A federal indictment charges the current chief of the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department, Anthony Dibona, of retaining $57,242 in grant money for his own use. Dibona is also facing four counts of filing false tax returns because he failed to account for the money and pay the taxes on it. According to published reports Dibona, plans to plead guilty on March 26th to stealing the grant money that was intended to help support the recruitment of volunteer firefighters. Dibona helped Benjamin Rhine, who was the coordinator of the Allegheny Mountain Firefighters Initiative, manage a $5.2 million grant that was awarded by FEMA, and was intended help more than 30 fire departments in Blair and surrounding counties. Rhine pleaded guilty last September to embezzling more than $1.5 million in grant money… some of which he used to purchase a property in Duncansville.
