ALEXANDRIA, Minn — Agents for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have arrested the former Alexandria Police Chief after a year-long investigation into alleged financial crimes.
Richard Wyffels, 57, was arrested without incident Friday at his Alexandria home, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Douglas County prosecutors charged Wyffels with felony theft by swindle. He is expected to make a court appearance "in the coming days."
Authorities say the BCA investigation into Wyffels began at the request of the City of Alexandria. Wyffels is accused of misusing a city-issued credit card and being involved in the theft of public funds during his tenure as police chief.
The BCA started investigating Wyffels "after reviewing documents provided by current Alexandria Police Chief Scott Kent, the City of Alexandria's Credit Card and Vehicle Use Policy, records from several financial institutions, internet service provider records, email account information, (Wyffels') financial records, PayPal and eBay account information, and records from various local businesses," the criminal complaint stated.
During the course of the investigation, BCA agents obtained the transactions made on the defendant's city-issued credit card between Dec. 16, 2014, to July 7, 2020, and found numerous purchases of items not owned or used by the Alexandria Police Department. The purchases included computers, cell phones, televisions, security cameras, lawn care items and other merchandise not in use by the department. In total, items allegedly purchased by Wyffels during that period totaled nearly $66,000.
Further investigation showed that some of the items purchased by Wyffels were sold
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