Former Contra Costa Fire District Battalion Chief admits to felony grand theft

Faced 9 years in prison, given 30 days in Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program, 1 year probation

Total loss to district: $65,000

By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office secured a felony grand theft conviction against a former battalion chief with the Contra Costa Fire Protection District as part of a negotiated disposition.

58-year-old Louis Manzo, Jr. of Danville was initially charged by the District Attorney’s Office in 2019 with felony crimes related to the misappropriation of public funds that occurred between 2014-2019. Moreover, Manzo, Jr. committed theft of Contra Costa Fire Protection District funds by falsifying information on timekeeping records, paid time off requests, and then redirecting public funds for his personal use. The Fire Protection District lost over 46-thousand dollars in fraudulent salary payments. (See related article)

In total, the loss to Con Fire is $46,000 in direct salary payments and $19,000 in costs incurred to cover shifts while Manzo was out of the office or claiming to be on special assignment.

Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said: “Acts of public corruption erode the integrity of our institutions that are here to serve our communities. The resolution in this case ensures that the misappropriated funds are returned to the Fire District.”

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Steven Bolen, who said that Manzo, Jr. pled no contest to one count of felony grand theft [PC 487(a)]. He’s been ordered by the court to serve 30 days of custody time through the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program, one year of court probation, 30 hours of community service, must pay restitution and fines, cannot have any contact with Fire District employees, and is ordered to stay away from all official Fire District locations.

Manzo, Jr. also must comply with searches and seizures of records and other materials related to his finances. In addition to the court-ordered penalties, Manzo Jr.’s felony plea will also affect his county pension benefits under Government Code section 7522.72.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Manzo, Jr. started as a Firefighter in 1990 and had “30 years in fire safety and response, moving through the ranks from Firefighter through Battalion Chief. Manage up to seven stations, overseeing budgets up to $20 million, and leading up to 60 personnel, effectively supporting daily operations, emergency events, and apparatus shops.”

As Battalion Chief, Manzo, Jr. “Managed seven fire stations leading and supporting nine Fire Captains, overseeing up to 60 personnel and a budget of up to $20 million. Oversaw training, development, and education of personnel, driving improvements and building collaborative teams.”

Case No. 01-192362-2 | The People of the State of California v. Manzo, Louis Jr.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.