MARTINEZ — A former Contra Costa fire battalion chief who inflated his own wages through a timekeeping scheme will serve 30 days in a jail alternative program and stay on probation for a year as part of a plea deal with county prosecutors.
Louis Manzo Jr., 58, pleaded no contest to felony grand theft in what prosecutors call a $46,000 scheme to steal public funds. Authorities say Manzo beefed up his timesheets and paid time off requests to give himself money he didn’t earn.
The scheme lasted from 2014-19, when Manzo was a battalion chief with the Contra Costa Fire Protection District, authorities said.
The plea agreement requires Manzo to spend 30 days in a work alternative program run by the county sheriff, in lieu of jailtime, and to do 30 hours of community service, on top of the one-year probation term. Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton also noted the plea deal requires Manzo to pay back the ill-gotten funds.