SAN ANTONIO — A former head of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association accused of harassing applicants for the city's fire chief position – including eventual hire Valerie Frausto – was indicted by a Bexar County grand jury on felony stalking charges this week, according to online court records.
Christopher Steele, who is 58 and retired in the summer of 2021 after more than a decade leading the association, could be sentenced to up to 10 years if convicted. A trial date hasn't been set following his Monday indictment.
Steele was arrested in Hays County in May after allegedly emailing and texting multiple members of the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) two months prior. According to arrest records, he identified himself as an independent investigator named Frank who had uncovered "concerning allegations," including offensive speech and exploiting their position within the department.
Investigators with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) talked with recipients of those messages allegedly sent by Steele, saying they weren't aware about any claims made against them or their colleagues. Instead, they told investigators, they felt they were being threatened not to apply to lead the department.
One of the recipients, records show, was Frausto. At the time she was an interim deputy chief in charge of administrative services for SAFD.
“Local 624 has gone to great lengths to distance ourselves from the behaviors and practices of the previous union administration, including former President Steele," said Joe Jones, currently in charge of the local union. "Our association, our department, and our community are all beneficiaries of fresh leadership, a renewed dedication to progress, and excellence in all we do.”
According to records, "Frank" claimed he had information Frausto had used her position to influence a business inspection and try to "impose maximum fines" upon them.
The emails went on to say the allegations wouldn't be made public if Frausto stopped pursuing the fire chief opening, a position vacated by Charles Hood earlier this year. She also alleges "Frank" had given her an ultimatum to respond within 24 hours to a follow-up email; otherwise, the sender wrote, "allegations would be released."
The sender went as far as to include what a press release would look like before it was distributed to local media.
Records say Frausto felt the sender was trying to coerce her into not applying for the chief position. She won the job in October.
A colleague of Frausto's received an email from the same account urging them to come forward about "allegations of physical abuse within your relationship" with Frausto, according to records. But that colleague told investigators she "did not know what the sender was referring to" and "had never had a relationship" with Fausto aside from both attending the same high school. Part of one of "Frank's" emails to a recipient read: "The seriousness of the allegations demands immediate resolution. Your cooperation is expected within 24 hours to address these concerns. Failure to do so will result in further escalation."
Frausto reported the first email she received to the city attorney's office, which was able to obtain a cease-and-desist against the sender. Records show the city followed up with officials at the background check company GoodHire, which the initial communications came from, who "disclaimed any knowledge of 'Frank' and the alleged investigation, pointing to the sender's misrepresentations as being for the purposes of intimidation or fraud."
SAPD looked into phone and internet records and was able to connect Steele to the accounts the communications came from, records show. A district court judge signed a search warrant for Steele's San Marcos home on May 30, permitting law enforcement to seize computers and routers, along with other potential evidence.