San Jose fire captain formally charged with stealing drugs from department lock boxes
A 22-year veteran of the department who had previously faced drug charges, Mark Moalem was arrested on April 17
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The Santa Clara County District Attorney formally charged San Jose Fire Captain Mark Moalem with two misdemeanors and a felony for allegedly stealing drugs from the department.
Moalem faces more than 3-years of prison time if convicted for stealing narcotic painkillers and sedatives from the SJFD lock boxes.
Currently off on leave amid the investigation, Moalem appeared in court Monday.
He's charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor counts of possessing, and being under the influence of, a controlled substance.
"Firefighters and police officers are people we rely on to help us when we're in danger, when we're in trouble," DA Jeff Rosen said. "And sadly, this is a firefighter whose actions endangered many people in our communities."
These charges from Rosen stem from an April arrest, in which investigators say the 23-year SJFD veteran tampered with and stole vials of morphine and midazolam from Station 4.
Moalem was assigned to station 7.
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He was also seen off duty at Station 29, near where the narcotics lock box was kept.
A department audit found more than 400 vials had been tampered with at 16 separate stations.
Police found needles, SJFD vial caps of morphine and midazolam and other drugs at Moalem's home during the investigation.
He is said to have removed and replaced the drugs with other substances, rendering them ineffective to patients who needed them.
"This is incredibly dangerous conduct that the individual firefighter engaged in," Rosen said. "It put people's lives at risk - it absolutely did that."
This is not Moalem's first run in with the law on drug related issues.
In 2013, he faced drug-related charges and received a deferred judgment, the department said
His latest arrest led to his EMT license being suspended.
Rosen said he believes Moalem needs addiction help and should no longer be a firefighter, but that it remains a decision for the department.
San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr. said in a previous statement, "I, along with the entire San José Fire Department, am beyond disappointed in the actions and crimes alleged thus far as they are antithetical to the mission and values of the department."
