Branford firefighter accused of embezzling

05/17/2007

Mark Zaretsky , Register Staff

BRANFORD — Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is suing a Branford firefighter and former union official, seeking to recoup at least $24,000 in union funds raised for charity that were allegedly misappropriated for personal use. Blumenthal Wednesday accused Michael Manemeit, a 24-year veteran firefighter, of betraying the trust of the public and his fellow firefighters and said his office also will refer the matter to the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office for possible criminal prosecution.

"It’s a clear violation of public trust," Blumenthal said. "Nothing could be more egregious than betraying the public purposes and the public interest involved in fund raising for good causes, especially by firefighters."

A lawsuit prepared by Blumenthal’s office has been served on Manemeit and will be filed shortly in Superior Court in Hartford, Blumenthal said.

"We’re seeking that money back, as well as penalties for his violation of the public trust and the confidence placed in him by his union," Blumenthal said. "He was withdrawing money for personal use without proper authorization. ... The severity of our claims relates partly to the solicitation of this money from the public," Blumenthal said. "The money was solicited from the public with the promise that it would be used for worthwhile causes."

Manemeit, who at various times served both as the union’s president and vice president, no longer is a union official but remains a firefighter, although he currently is out of work on injury leave, said Greg Cohen, a lawyer for the Branford Professional Firefighters Association, Local 2533 of the International Association of Firefighters.

Manemeit’s lawyer, Robert Casale, said there was no misappropriation of funds, and that any union funds Manemeit spent, he spent with full authorization.

"These are disputed allegations," Casale said in a telephone conversation in which Manemeit also was on the line. "Our position is that there was no misconduct and no misappropriation. Whatever was done was done with the proper authority and the proper authorization ... with the knowledge of the union and for the ultimate benefit of the union.

"I think the problem lies with the fact that the union people who were in place when Michael was there are not the same people who are there today," he said.

Cohen and Blumenthal both said the action against Manemeit should not reflect on the union as a whole — something Cohen said union members fear.

"The current administration has made changes in the way funds are handled," said Cohen. "They’ve tightened up security to make sure that funds are not mishandled again. ... They are just concerned that people will look at the whole organization in a bad light" and stop donating funds in the future, he said.

Cohen said the funds were intended to be used for the health and welfare of union members and were often used to buy equipment that the town did not provide, including smoke detectors for needy families, radios and flashlights for the firemen and "first responder packages."

Fire Chief John J. Ahern said he had been aware of the investigation for some time but had not been officially notified. He said it was a union matter, not a Fire Department matter.

"It’s union funds. It has nothing to do with town funds or any municipal funds," Ahern said. It might only threaten Manemeit’s job if it became a criminal matter, he said.

Ahern said that "a firefighter has already lost his job for embezzling money. In fact, he went to jail yesterday," he said.

He referred to former Branford Firefighter Andrew Konspore, who was convicted in federal court last fall of embezzling funds as treasurer for the union representing workers at his other job, with American Medical Response in New Haven.

Konspore, who lives in North Haven and worked as a Branford firefighter paramedic for eight years, was fired Oct. 18, 2006, after pleading guilty Sept. 18, 2006, and being convicted on federal felony charges for stealing more than $108,000 in his role as treasurer of the Northeast Emergency Services Union.

Konspore served as treasurer of the Northeast Emergency Services Union, which represents about 400 New Haven employees of AMR and the Greater New Haven Transit Co., from 2001 through 2004. His crimes were unrelated to his work as a Branford firefighter.

Mark Zaretsky can be reached at mzaretsky@nhregister.com or 789-5722.