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Inspector General Wants Firefighters Fired For Fraud

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson says 54 firefighters assigned to the Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau should be terminated.

As WBBM Newsradio 780's Dave Marsett reports, the Chicago Sun-Times says Ferguson wants the firefighters fired for allegedly falsifying mileage used so they could be reimbursed for driving their own cars to inspections.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Dave Marsett reports

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Sources tell the Sun-Times the alleged fraud meant losses of more than $100,000 for Chicago taxpayers in just the year 2009.

When confronted with GPS evidence, the firefighters admitted that they had padded their mileage expenses – in some cases since the day they started on the job, the Sun-Times reported.

The 54 firefighters represent half of the employees of the Fire Prevention Bureau, the newspaper reported.

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