HORSESHOE BEND, Idaho — A city councilman in Horseshoe Bend pleaded guilty to felony grand theft. Curtis Corvinus was originally charged a year ago, after he stole money from the town's volunteer fire district while he was chief.
Although he left the department after the theft was discovered, Corvinus kept his seat on council, infuriating many people who live in the small town along Highway 55.
However, given his new plea deal, he is now off the city council.
"We all make mistakes, no one is perfect, at the end of day owning up to mistakes and taking responsibility for things you did and actions you took goes a long way," Horseshoe Bend resident Ryan Stirm said.
Corvinus has never responded to KTVB's multiple attempts to contact him. Stirm is a former Boise County Commissioner, former volunteer Horseshoe Bend firefighter and former best friend of Corvinus.
He said it took more than a year, and lots of taxpayer dollars, for Corvinus to own up to his mistakes. It came in the form of a plea deal he took on May 2, where he admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from the Horseshoe Bend Volunteer Fire District. He pleaded guilty just weeks before his trial was scheduled in front of a jury.
"You had an opportunity to turn yourself in right away, plead guilty right away and avoid any further conversation or actions or anything else going forward. And instead you drug it on for many, many months," Stirm said. "It's very poor taste. There are so many other options to get finance if you need it. Stealing from volunteer organizations whose only means is either through tax dollars or donations from good people, it's pretty bad."
In May of 2022 the Boise County Prosecutor's Office changed Corvinus with misuse of public moneys by a public officer. They amended that charge in early September 2022 to felony grand theft.
Court documents show Corvinus misused $3,669 of public money between November 2021 and March 2022. Documents show he used money from the department's 'burnout fund' to pay for personal expenses and did not deposit charitable cash donations.
According to a Facebook post from the department last spring, Corvinus even admitted to it at the time. KTVB asked Stirm if this situation may have impacted the trust people had in their public officials.
"I think it definitely makes people more weary," Stirm said. "I hope that it wouldn't deter people from either a) volunteering their time and efforts to those entities or b) donating money."
He said the fire district is a public service that helps people - beyond just their own community.
"Those firefighters put a lot of energy and effort and time out of their lives and existence into taking care of the community and residents," Stirm said, "and people who travel up and down the highway."
While he lost his job as fire chief, Corvinus still held his seat on city council, leading the small rural city and making decisions about what to do with taxpayer dollars.
Idaho law allowed him to stay on the council because he hadn't been convicted of a felony. Some people who lost trust in him started a recall petition this spring to get Corvinus off the council in case he wasn't found guilty. Now, that won't be necessary.
City Attorney Anthony Pantera said, since he pleaded guilty to felony grand theft, Corvinus is off the council and his seat is vacant.
"The basis of the foundation of the job is to have trust and people to know you're making good decisions and have their best interests at heart," Stirm said. "You're breaking your oath of office by just taking from people who trusted in you to take care of them."
Horseshoe Bend Mayor Patrick Goff has to appoint someone to the position and then the council has to approve them at a public meeting. KTVB has also reached out to Mr. Goff to better understand his next steps -- he has not responded to our requests.
"I hope this sends the message that people care," Stirm said. "That this means a lot to the community and the people, and we're going to go ahead and stand up for what's right and what's just. And we'll continue to operate that way."
Corvinus is not in custody. His sentencing is set for August 18 at 10:00 a.m. in Boise County.
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