Fort Lauderdale Firefighter Arrested On Extortion Charges
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - A Fort Lauderdale firefighter is facing serious charges after investigators say he used a taped conversation in an attempt to extort information about a criminal investigation.
Fort Lauderdale Police announced the arrest of Steven Loleski Thursday. He is charged with one count of Threats/Extortion and one count of Solicitation to Commit or Use of Confidential Criminal Justice Information.
Police say Loleski illegally obtained a non-consensually recorded private conversation and attempted to use it in a threatening manner.
Loleski allegedly threatened to jeopardized an ongoing investigation if the victim, a member of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department and their bargaining union President, did not disclose information about an open criminal investigation by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department and the FBI/ . Prosecutors say Loleski and five others are implicated in that investigation for allegedly counterfeiting their medical credentials and providing false statements related to the investigation to law enforcement officials.
He is being held on $51,000 bond.
