SALT LAKE CITY — A FOX 13 investigation has revealed a convicted pedophile is still allowed to receive thousands of dollars every month from his taxpayer-funded pension.
Greg Chamberlain used to be a deputy fire chief with the Ogden Fire Department. He's now in prison after admitting to the forcible and aggravated sexual abuse of his 16-year-old and 11-year-old family members.
The girls' mother reported Chamberlain, who eventually pleaded guilty to the charges. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of forcible sodomy and object rape.
"Chamberlain often told (the girls) he was unable to control himself, not to tell anyone what he was doing," according to a report from the Springville Police Department.
FOX 13 has chosen not to publish some of the more graphic and disturbing details of the crime contained in the police report.
Chamberlain's boss, Ogden Fire Chief Mike Mathieu, described Chamberlain as a good employee. He believes Chamberlain started committing these crimes after retiring from the department.
"He worked for me as assistant chief, performed well, was intelligent," Mathieu said. "He worked well in his capacity."
Mathieu said he was shocked and disgusted to hear what was going on in Chamberlain's personal life.
Utah Retirement Services (URS), along with the Ogden Fire Department, confirmed Chamberlain is still entitled to receive his full taxpayer-funded pension while serving time in prison.
"Committing any crime outside the scope of your employment will not affect your pension benefits in any way," said Brian Holland, a spokesman for URS. "These are state laws."
Although the details from Chamberlain's pension are not public record under Utah law, FOX 13 obtained information from his public HR file and calculated his projected benefits.
Chamberlain served 28 years with the Ogden Fire Department, which allows him to receive 66% of his $94,880 average salary.
Holland said the circumstances may be different if Chamberlain committed crimes at work instead of at home, thanks to a new law that passed in 2016. This current law is the strictest it has ever been in Utah.
"Before that, it was even more lenient," Holland said. "In (2016), there was actually a new law that said if you commit certain crimes during the course of your employment on the job that you may get a reduction in your pension benefit... An example might be if you steal funds from your employer. Otherwise, committing any crime outside the scope of your employment won't affect your pension benefit in any way."
Chamberlain is now serving six years to life in prison for his crimes.
