In United States District Court on Thursday, former Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger was sentenced to 50 months in prison, over a year after he pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges.
Hohenberger, who had been with the Argyle Fire District (now Denton County ESD No. 1) for 30 years, was indicted on 13 counts by a federal grand jury and arrested by the FBI in November 2022. Hohenberger was accused of taking money from the operating account of the fire district (which received federal funds in the form of Medicare reimbursements) and used about half a million dollars of those funds to pay personal credit card bills, including, in part, cash advances at casinos, payments related to a family member’s business in Hawaii and other personal uses, according to the indictment. He pleaded guilty to those charges in May 2023.
In addition to the 50 months in prison, Hohenberger’s sentencing in the U.S. Eastern District of Texas before Judge Robert Schroeder included three years of supervised release after his prison term, and he was ordered to pay $509,807.50 in restitution to the ESD.
“Since January 2023, the Denton County ESD No. 1 Board of Commissioners, new fire chief and administrative staff have worked diligently to make the firefighters whole and to ensure accountability, sustainability and transparency for the future,” the ESD said in a statement Thursday. “Today’s decision marks a significant moment in the board’s efforts to uphold integrity and accountability in public service for the citizens of our communities. Denton County ESD No. 1 would like to thank the U.S. Department of Justice for their diligence in resolving this case.”
Sam Johnson, president of the Argyle Professional Firefighters Association, said in a statement that his organization was “grateful that justice has been served” in the prosecution of Hohenberger.
“With the sentencing, we are a step closer to repairing the damage done to Denton County ESD 1 and our community by the deceit, theft, and betrayal by Hohenberger. We thank the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, and state and local authorities for their hard work during the past two years of the investigation and prosecution of this case,” the statement read. “As our fire department continues to be rebuilt, we are immensely grateful for the support of the community, especially our new ESD Board of Commissioners, and our new Fire Chief Ricky Vaughan. We will never forget the support of the citizens that stood with us in our time of need. Without question, we have a more stable and professional emergency services district than ever before and we believe it will only continue to grow stronger.”
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