Nevada County's leading wildfire safety nonprofit is in the legal hot seat after a grand jury indicted its top two executives on more than two dozen felony counts tied to alleged misuse of public money.
Executive Director Jamie Jones and Director of Field Operations Christopher Wackerly of the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County are accused of tapping organizational accounts for personal benefit. Prosecutors say the alleged scheme involved grant funds that were supposed to pay for wildfire prevention and community safety work across the county.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the indictment charges Jones and Wackerly with embezzlement, grand theft, money laundering, mortgage fraud, insurance fraud, perjury and forgery. A special allegation claims losses topped $100,000, and a grand jury reportedly found probable cause that the conduct stretched over roughly six years. The district attorney's office has said the indictment caps an extended investigation into the nonprofit.
As reported by YubaNet, the case includes 29 felony counts covering alleged misconduct from 2018 through early 2025. YubaNet also notes that Wackerly was arrested and booked on May 1, while Jones had not been taken into custody at the time of that report. The outlet reports the indictments came on the heels of earlier law enforcement probes and search warrants executed in October 2024.
Prior Warnings From A Grand Jury
Years before this criminal case surfaced, a Nevada County civil grand jury was already sounding alarms about the Fire Safe Council's finances and oversight. In a 2022 report reviewed by the Nevada County courts, jurors flagged discrepancies in reports to the nonprofit's board, along with county payments that raised concerns for auditors. The report emphasized that county disbursements made up a large share of the council's revenue and identified repeated weaknesses in internal financial controls.
Those findings helped set the stage for a deeper look at the group. Hoodline previously covered the DA's fire council probe, which focused on how public wildfire funds were being handled.
Board Response And Finances
The Fire Safe Council's board has publicly defended its past oversight, and the organization has maintained that outside audits and finance advisers did not find clear evidence of malfeasance. At the same time, the group has been under mounting financial strain.
Local reporting notes that the nonprofit suspended operations and furloughed its crews in April 2024. By the following January, Tri Counties Bank had filed a notice of default on a business loan tied to the council, according to YubaNet.
Form 990 tax filings compiled by ProPublica show that, in recent years, executive pay at the council landed in the low to mid six figures, with Jones and Wackerly listed among the organization's highest compensated employees.
What Happens Next
Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson has stressed that the indictment is a set of allegations, not proof of guilt, and that both defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence. He reiterated that point in a statement reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Jones and Wackerly are expected to be arraigned in the coming week, according to court records and local coverage. If a jury ultimately convicts either defendant, the indictment's special allegation that losses exceeded $100,000 could play a significant role in any eventual sentencing.
Beyond the immediate legal drama, the case is putting fresh scrutiny on how wildfire grants are managed in rural counties that lean heavily on volunteer groups and state and federal funding. Local officials and residents say they will be watching closely as prosecutors and the courts sort through the detailed financial allegations now laid out in the grand jury's charging documents.
