Retired Central Valley fire chief pleads no contest to embezzlement during tenure
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY – A retired Central Valley fire chief has pled no contest to two counts of embezzlement, authorities said on Wednesday.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said it received reports in February 2023 that alleged retired Fire Chief Frank Ramirez III of the Mokelumne Rural Fire District had engaged in embezzlement.
After months of investigating, the sheriff's office said it confirmed Ramirez had engaged in embezzlement during his tenure as fire chief.
Deputies then served a search warrant at his home, leading to them finding property belonging to the fire department, including a dump trailer. Ramirez was then arrested.
He pled no contest to two counts of embezzlement on Tuesday, deputies said.
In a Facebook post on April 6, 2016, the Mokelume Rural Fire District congratulated Ramirez after he was pinned the fire department's new fire chief.
The fire district was formed in 1946 and was approved by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors the following year. Its firefighters serve about 64 square miles between the Mokelumne River and Live Oak Road, including the communities of Lockeford and Victor, as well as rural areas of Lodi.