Lawsuit claims former Manchester fire chief misused department funds for lobsters, scuba gear
Former Manchester Fire Chief Frank Wozniak in 2019. (Andy Molloy/Staff Photographer)
Purchases at a scuba diving store, $1,200. Cash withdrawal for buying lobsters, $1,300. A $100 bill from a restaurant in Falmouth.
These are just a few of 52 unauthorized withdrawals and expenses former Manchester Fire Chief Frank Wozniak allegedly made during his six-year tenure.
The Manchester Fire Department Association is now suing him for the alleged illegitimate transactions he made using department funds, totaling nearly $25,000. Wozniak denies the allegations and claims they are “retaliatory.”
Wozniak served as the fire chief for the Manchester Fire Department, which is funded by the nonprofit Manchester Fire Department Association through donations, from September 2018 to August 2024. He resigned as chief after being placed on administrative leave in June 2024 following a criminal investigation for impersonating a law enforcement officer.
Hallowell police alleged Wozniak represented himself as a constable to have blue flashing lights installed on the town-owned truck he used as fire chief in Manchester, in addition to telling people he was a constable (a position that does not exist in Manchester) and using the blue lights, which are for police use, when responding to a fire call. The criminal charge was dropped in 2025 after Wozniak, who denied the allegations, agreed to pay a $154 fine on a civil summons of improper exercise of emergency vehicle lights.
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When Wozniak was hired as chief in 2018, Harold Jones, then fire department treasurer and a former firefighter in Manchester for 38 years, resigned because of Wozniak’s lack of cooperation, refusal to provide receipts for transactions with fire department funds and his decision to end fire department meetings where use-of-funds decisions were voted on by members, according to the civil complaint filed at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta.
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As a result, Wozniak was given full access to fire department funds and accounts, town officials say.
Jones returned to his role as treasurer when Wozniak was placed on leave in 2024 and took control of the fire department accounts again. He then discovered an unusual $400 ATM cash withdrawal from when Wozniak had control of the accounts, prompting Jones and town officials to acquire bank records to look into Wozniak’s use of the funds as fire chief.
Between May 2019 and July 2024, they discovered $24,393.70 in department funds that were unaccounted for during his tenure.
The total was made up of $18,460 in cash and ATM withdrawals and $5,933.70 in debit card purchases, checks and other expenditures.
These transactions were unauthorized and deemed to be unrelated to any fire department business, the lawsuit claims. Jones also stated in an affidavit he has not been able to locate any authorization, vote, invoice, receipt or supporting record for any of the transactions.
Debora Southiere, town manager for Manchester, said she and the Board of Selectmen had asked Wozniak about the account during his tenure but was told by him it was “none of (their) business,” according to her statement in the lawsuit.
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As a result, the Fire Department Association opted to sue Wozniak to collect the money he allegedly misused, said Walter McKee, the department’s attorney for the lawsuit.
Wozniak says he denies the claims against him and intends to provide evidence in the case that “directly contradicts” the allegations.
Wozniak also said he believes the claims against him are retaliatory.
When he was fire chief, Wozniak said he raised concerns regarding what he believed to be “serious irregularities” involving Federal Emergency Management Agency funds and the conduct of Town Manager Debbie Southiere.
He said he is currently cooperating with investigators regarding his concerns about Southiere.
“I believe that cooperation, along with the documentation and evidence I have provided, is important context that should not be overlooked,” Wozniak said. “I stand by the concerns I raised, I deny the allegations against me, and I look forward to having the facts and evidence fully examined through the appropriate process.”
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McKee said Wozniak’s claims of retaliation are “totally false.”
A judge has already granted an order allowing them to order banks to freeze Wozniak’s assets in advance of serving him with the lawsuit, based on a reasonable fear the defendant may attempt to hide or destroy their assets.
Wozniak’s time as fire chief was marked by other issues as well.
McKee said he believed there was a criminal investigation into the allegations against Wozniak as well, and Wozniak also said he had faced law-enforcement scrutiny concerning the allegations, but that it did not result in criminal charges.
Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine State Police, said she could not find any record of state police activity involving Wozniak and the alleged misuse of funds. Chris Read, chief deputy for the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, could not immediately be reached for comment.
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In February 2024, Wozniak filed a request for a protection from harassment order against John Black, a former Manchester firefighter, claiming he had been intimidating, harassing and stalking him for a decade. Wozniak dropped the case in August of that year, the same day he resigned as chief.
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Black had denied the claims and said he had been critical of Wozniak for what he viewed as department mismanagement and using public property for work outside the scope of the fire department. Before the case was dropped, Black was represented by McKee as well.
At the time, Wozniak said part of the reason he dropped the case was he was told town officials would no longer pay his legal bills.
Wozniak had also been arrested while driving in Portland in 2020, during his time as chief, for operating under the influence. Wozniak did not face any disciplinary action from the town and was able to keep his driver’s license and his job as chief.
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After pleading guilty in 2022, the charge was dismissed provided he complied with conditions placed upon him for a year, including 20 hours of community service.
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Tagged: kennebec journal, manchester fire department
Sara Coughlin covers the Augusta area for the Kennebec Journal. She received a degree in English and government with a concentration in creative writing from Bowdoin College, where she served as an editor. More by Sara Coughlin
