SAN ANTONIO – The former president of the San Antonio firefighters union is facing multiple new charges involving the highest-ranked female firefighter and an additional woman, records show.
Three separate arrest affidavits filed in March reveal six new Class A misdemeanor charges against retired SAFU president Christopher Steele, 59.
Four of the charges stem from evidence showcased in Steele’s 2024 arrest and accusation of attempting to frighten Valarie Frausto, who was the San Antonio Fire Department’s interim deputy chief at the time, out of applying for the fire chief’s position.
The remaining charges accuse Steele of conducting the same act on a separate woman with “intent to harm of defraud” her, according to an affidavit.
Steele faces the following six Class A misdemeanor charges:
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Three counts of online impersonation
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Three counts of impersonating a private investigator
If convicted, Steele could face jail time and a fine determined by a judge.
“The newly filed charges reflect the seriousness of the alleged actions and the importance of holding individuals accountable, particularly when the evidence shows laws were clearly violated,“ Frausto said in an email to TheTXLoop.
TheTXLoop reached out to Steele’s lawyer for comment but had not received a response as of Monday afternoon.
San Antonio fire union President Joe Jones sent the following statement to TheTXLoop on Monday:
The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association is thankful our District Attorney’s office continues to pursue justice in this case. The environment Mr. Steele and his associates created within our department was an unhealthy and extremely toxic situation that our Firefighters and Paramedics were forced to endure. While these new charges do not address the multiple perversions of professionalism, high standards, and subcultural norms that occurred and persist to this day, we sincerely hope Fire Chief Frausto will feel some level of satisfaction in knowing that legal justice is still a possibility.
Joe Jones, San Antonio Fire Union President
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