Delaware County police chief charged with stealing more than $50,000 in overtime payments, authorities say
Michael Irey, the former police chief of Upland Borough, was charged with multiple counts of theft, tampering with evidence, and related crimes.
Upland Borough Police Police Chief Michael Irey collected more than $50,000 in fraudulent overtime payments, prosecutors said Monday, and during some of the hours he said he was working he was actually dining and drinking at local bars.
Irey, 55, was charged with multiple counts of theft, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, forgery, and related crimes in connection with the scheme, which authorities said began in 2025 and continued until early this year.
Irey frequently logged overtime using his access to the police department’s scheduling system, saying he was directing traffic outside a local charter school or pursuing aggressive and intoxicated drivers on borough roads, prosecutors said.
Instead, they said, he was visiting bars and restaurants in Media, Middletown, and Newtown Square, while assigning other officers to cover the work he was being paid for.
Detectives with the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office began investigating Irey in December after receiving information about the misconduct. Eight of Upland Borough’s nine police officers submitted anonymous tips to borough officials about Irey, prosecutors said.
He was placed on leave in February and later resigned, borough officials said.
The officers said they had seen Irey at bars like DiFabio’s Market and Tap, Old State Tavern, La Porta, and LaScala’s Fire during afternoon hours when he was supposed to be directing traffic outside the Chester Community Charter School or serving as roving DUI enforcement as part of a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation grant program.
Investigators built their case by studying Irey’s digital time sheet, reviewing his bank statements, and tracking his vehicles’ movements using automatic license plate readers and finding several instances in which the chief was not where he was supposed to be.
At one of those locations, DiFabio’s in Media, staff told investigators Irey and another person were frequent visitors and often came in the early afternoon. Staff at La Porta said Irey was a regular, coming in “every Thursday” in 2025.
The overtime payments amounted to more than $56,600 over the course of the year, prosecutors said.
Irey was arrested in New Jersey last week on a separate gun possession charge and is awaiting extradition back to Delaware County.
In announcing the charges against Irey, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse commended the Upland police officers who reported their boss to authorities, saying they had demonstrated “willingness to do what is right, even when it is difficult.”
“The badge carries a responsibility that does not end when the shift is over,” the prosecutor said. “Public trust should never be treated as a personal paycheck.”
Staff writer Vinny Vella contributed to this article.
