The former Acting Treasurer of the Manchester Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 has been charged with the theft of more than $30,000 from the organization’s general account.
Vincent F. Conte, 46, of 10th Avenue, was arrested and charged on August 12th following an investigation by Manchester Township Police Department Detective Robert Maccaquano, with assistance from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit. Conte, a captain who separated from the fire company in October of 2015, had been writing checks to himself from the Manchester Volunteer Fire Company’s general account for his own personal benefit while serving as the Acting Treasurer from 2012 through 2015.
The police investigation was initiated after the fire company’s finances were reviewed following Conte’s departure. Fire company personnel noticed accounting discrepancies and contacted the Manchester Township Police Department for assistance. Detectives found that Conte had written multiple checks to himself or to “cash” over the three year period, with a total amount exceeding $30,000. The fire company now adheres to a rule that requires that all checks contain two signatures.
Conte was charged with one count of Official Misconduct, which is second degree crime and two counts of Theft in excess of $30,000, a third degree crime. He was lodged in the Ocean County Jail on $75,000 bail.