A Fort Lauderdale firefighter is accused of extortion and illegally recording the fire chief's private conversation in a case of alleged fraud involving six firefighters, according to an arrest warrant.
Steve Loleski, 35, who has been with the city's fire-rescue department for 12 years, was being held on $51,000 bail Thursday, said Broward County Judge John "Jay" Hurley.
"This arrest is the result of an ongoing investigation initiated by the Broward County Public Corruption Unit," said Fort Lauderdale Detective DeAnna Garcia.
The criminal investigation focuses on Loleski and five other firefighters who allegedly counterfeited their medical credentials and gave false official statements, according to the warrant. The names of the five other firefighters were redacted.
Loleski, who was charged with extortion and solicitation to disclose confidential criminal justice information, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Task Force late Wednesday.
According to the arrest warrant, Loleski taped a conversation between Fort Lauderdale Fire Chief Jeffrey Justinak and William Humphrey, president of firefighters union Local 765 IAFF, that took place in Justinak's office about six months ago.
On July 9, Loleski told Humphrey he wanted to know whether three fellow firefighters being investigated had "cut a deal." Loleski threatened to make the taped conversation public and oust the union head if he didn't offer the coveted information, the warrant said.
During Thursday's hearing, Loleski's attorney, Brian Silber, told Hurley his client's actions did not amount to extortion.
"According to that [warrant] application, all he's accused of doing is threatening to expose a tape. Nothing more," Silber said, "There's no allegation that he threatened to accuse any person of a crime or offense; that he threatened injury to a person or someone else's property or reputation; that he threatened to expose anybody's secret, or any of the other enumerated things in [state statute] 836.05."
Hurley disagreed and said Loleski used the tape as "leverage or blackmail" to force Humphrey to resign and to "divulge information regarding an ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI, the [Broward County] State Attorney's Office, also Fort Lauderdale police... into fraudulent behavior by several firefighters," Hurley said.
Hurley ordered that Loleski not contact Humphrey, Justinak or firefighters Michael Salzano, who is the union's vice president, and Michael Reimer.
According to the warrant, Loleski played excerpts of the taped conversation to Salzano, who told investigators, "I just thought it would have been a huge disaster for everybody involved" if that conversation came to light.
Humphrey, Salzano and union attorney Mark Floyd declined to comment Thursday. A phone message left at Justinak's office was not returned.
Loleski, whose salary is $72,321, is currently on vacation leave; his employment status after that has yet to be determined.
Copyright 2012 - Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
