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Carbon County's emergency services director has been indicted on federal charges that he stole from programs receiving federal funds.
In the one-count indictment returned Tuesday by a grand jury, Jason Thomas Llewelyn, 45, is accused of embezzling money from grants provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to a statement Tuesday by federal prosecutors.
The indictment alleges that Llewelyn, of Helper, used at least $5,000 to buy "hundreds of items for his houseboat and other personal interests," wrote Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney John Huber.
The grants were given to the county from August 2010 through September 2014.
The potential maximum penalty for the charge is up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Llewelyn previously was charged in Price's 7th District Court with 20 counts of misuse of public funds.
Prosecutors there said he may have been using his county credit card to refurbish his dry-docked houseboat at Lake Powell. Investigators found truckloads of building materials in the boat, Carbon County Attorney Gene Strate told The Tribune.
In addition to serving as the county's emergency services director, Llewelyn is a sheriff's deputy with 10 years of experience and a Helper city councilman who was on the ballot for re-election last week. He garnered 46 votes out of 988 cast.
Meanwhile, Llewelyn was charged in September in Carbon County's 7th District Court with 20 counts of third-degree felony misuse of public money. The allegations in court papers are similar to those in the federal indictment, but it is unclear whether the federal case with impact the state prosecution.
Twitter: @erinalberty