Ex-Lakewood cop who stole from memorial fund facing new charges
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TACOMA, Wash. -- A former Lakewood police officer who admitted to having stolen from the slain officers' fund is facing new charges.
Skeeter Manos, 35, has been charged with second-degree identity theft and forgery in Pierce County. According to prosecutors, Manos, while working as the treasurer of the Lakewood Police Department Guild, stole the identity of a certified public accountant and forged documents in his name.
The latest charges stems from a March 2011 request by the guild for an audit into the guild's spending. In July 2011, the results of the audit prepared and signed by a CPA were posted on the guild's website.
When the guild's president contacted the cited accountant to request copies of the group's tax returns, the accountant told him he had not prepared tax returns for the guild since 2005, and had not dealt with the guild at all since 2007. The accountant added he had not prepared or signed the 2011 audit.
Tacoma police began investigating the audit at the request of Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar, and learned e-mails purporting from the accountant had been sent from Manos' IP address. Investigators also learned the messages had been sent from an e-mail address that was foreign to the accountant himself.
Earlier this year, Manos pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court, admitting to having embezzled from a fund set up to benefit the family members of four Lakewood officers gunned down at a Parkland coffee shop in 2009. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison, and ordered to pay in restitution $112,000 to the officers' families and $47,000 to the guild.
The allegedly embezzled funds were a part of the $3.2 million contributed for the benefit of the families of Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Greg Richards who were gunned down at a coffee shop.
Manos was hired by the Lakewood Police Department in 2004 after working as a state trooper for a year.
"Our department has always wanted to see this former officer held responsible for all of his actions,” said Farrar. ”We absolutely support this prosecution.”
Manos was ordered held on $100,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to 5 years.
He is scheduled to report to federal prison on Sept. 20 to serve time for his prior conviction.
Skeeter Manos, 35, has been charged with second-degree identity theft and forgery in Pierce County. According to prosecutors, Manos, while working as the treasurer of the Lakewood Police Department Guild, stole the identity of a certified public accountant and forged documents in his name.
The latest charges stems from a March 2011 request by the guild for an audit into the guild's spending. In July 2011, the results of the audit prepared and signed by a CPA were posted on the guild's website.
When the guild's president contacted the cited accountant to request copies of the group's tax returns, the accountant told him he had not prepared tax returns for the guild since 2005, and had not dealt with the guild at all since 2007. The accountant added he had not prepared or signed the 2011 audit.
Tacoma police began investigating the audit at the request of Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar, and learned e-mails purporting from the accountant had been sent from Manos' IP address. Investigators also learned the messages had been sent from an e-mail address that was foreign to the accountant himself.
Earlier this year, Manos pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court, admitting to having embezzled from a fund set up to benefit the family members of four Lakewood officers gunned down at a Parkland coffee shop in 2009. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison, and ordered to pay in restitution $112,000 to the officers' families and $47,000 to the guild.
The allegedly embezzled funds were a part of the $3.2 million contributed for the benefit of the families of Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Ronald Owens and Greg Richards who were gunned down at a coffee shop.
Manos was hired by the Lakewood Police Department in 2004 after working as a state trooper for a year.
"Our department has always wanted to see this former officer held responsible for all of his actions,” said Farrar. ”We absolutely support this prosecution.”
Manos was ordered held on $100,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to 5 years.
He is scheduled to report to federal prison on Sept. 20 to serve time for his prior conviction.
What a fool. Glad he was finally caught and is being held responsible. Shame on him!
What a dummy
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Man some people are totally shameless... and this guy, makes me want to throw-up all over that suit of his.
I wish we still had the public stocks for crimes such as this. A little public humiliation, shame and victim "feedback" (via rotten eggs and tomatoes) goes a long way.
A public hanging would be nice...
I'm shocked a cop is getting prosecuted. Good job Lakewood PD, for not covering it up. Course, he did steal from cops.
@super I served sno county for almost 4 years, there are more good than bad.Â
wickedwitch, ,I am in my mid fifties I know many good Christians HOWEVER  I have noticed that  EVERY  time I talk to "or" hear a person who is an over the top bible thumper like you , in time they turn out to be a real wierdo" with a twisted sense or right and wrong,  I work at a large aerospace company, hint hint and we have had several managers and others who ... when they first introduce themselves make the statement" Oh I just want everyone to know " I am a Christian" then they go about being the bigest liar fraud, alcoholic Druggie dirt bag phsyco nut ball ,.... "So" if you are a Christian FINE !!!!! show me!  by you actions let them say who you are!Â
Will he get a fired pension and collect $80,000 per year?
Skeeter's not going to last long in the Big House.
I can't wait for this guy to be Bubba's woman. Nobody deserves it more. It could only be Lakewood.
what a piece of #@$%. A complete waste of space on this earth. I'm so tired of hearing about stories of disrespect, dishonor, and disregard for others. It's disgusting and he should be ashamed of himself and have to pay it all back plus some. His parents must be so proud.
 @andiec16 Don't blame the parents. In my family - 2 siblings yielded honest kids and one really really bad one. They tried like heck to get their little sociopath help when he was torturing animals and they were horrified. Some families just get bad seeds, oh and many shrinks actually take the dishonest kids side when the families try to get them help.
What a weasel. Maybe he should be a politician.
 @jelisized We don't need another dishonest thief in politics, it would be like prison where he just learns more tricks from other perps.
this guy needs to do some real time. i'll bet the cons in the big house love former cops..
@Theonedog Federal prison, white-collar crime. I'm sure they'll make him quite comfy - maybe he can take up tennis or raquetball. What he should be sentenced to is 12 hour days working hard labor, outside in the elements, to pay back every freakin' penny PLUS legal costs, and then make personal visits to each and every one of the people he scammed to explain why he did it in the first place. In prison he'll just work the system and likely get an early release.
 @mccwife  @Theonedog Unfortunate, but probably true.
This POS is just despicable.
Scum sucking maggot.
He is a slime ball, throw the freaking book at him!
This story only gets worse by the day. He is a scumbag, no doubt. What I really hate is there are thousands of honorable police officers and then one like this steals the headlines. Officers do good deeds every day. Hope this creep goes into the general population of a jail and let's see how that works for him. SUPPORT OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN BLUE!
Scary... glad they caught him, but the same time I wonder how many of these embezzlement cases remain in the dark?Â
Put'm in General population... Loser!!
Human feces.
 @Mark M. That is an insult to feces.
Slimy little rat. Hated by both good cops and criminals both. After you get out of prison, if you survive, maybe Equador will be a good place to hide.
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Or you could always become a carny....
 @Audio Cat That's an insult to carnys! I know one and he's a great guy.
 @trainguy43 I have known a few in my life too that were good people, but I admit they were the exception and not the rule.
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Can you imagine this guy telling his story at the fire? Even the carny folk would shun him.Â
Scumbag!!!!
What a piece of "&%$" - how dare he think he can get away with such an atrocity! Â Im glad he was sentenced- it should have been longer!
Clearly he believes he's above the law. I'm glad he's finding out that isn't the case. These are exactly the type of people who should not be cops.
I wonder way his parents named him Skeeter...
@Windowseat If your name sounds like an insect. You might be a redneck.
First of all what kind of a name is Skeeter? Â I guess if you can't beat um join em eh?
@keri555 I think the name Skeeter suits him well. Both are little annoying blood-sucking bugs that everyone just wants to beat the heck out of.
@Tattooed_Angel
I have another analogy that I would not be granted to post on KOMO that suits him better than a bug. Lets just say Skeeter is about to meet Peter.
 @Tattooed_Angel  @keri555 So true, so true!!!
"it was not known whether the date would be pushed back as a result of the latest charges." In prison that's not all that going to get pushed back. Some one trusted you not any more.
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@Wickedwitch
Uuummm This was not a mistake. This was a law man stealing from the families of his fallen brothers and sisters. This is an irrehensible crime against those family, and I see no reason for forgiveness. I donât prey but if I did it would be that Skeeter spends his time in general population.Â
 @Wickedwitch Well you certainly are a popular one today aren't you.  Come on, sure we make mistakes but he's a police officer.  He did what he thows people in jail for.  Not only should he serve time, he should know better than anyone what he did was wrong.
@Wickedwitch You CANNOT be serious! A mistake is buying 2% milk instead of skim (and no offense to 2% drinkers). Manos made choices and decisions -- he chose to put his own well-being above all else and support whatever vices he had (I had heard he had gambling issues). This is about accountability - natural and logical CONSEQUENCES for this actions. I'm not even judging - just stating the facts. We have laws for a reason, to protect the innocent and make the perpetrators accountable. Save the preaching - pray instead for sick children and others who've done nothing wrong.Â
 @Wickedwitch Yes, we do all make mistakes, but what this guy did was beyond making a mistake. It was rooted in evil. He should have, and probably will have, a hefty price to pay. What I'd like to know is, how the hell did this jerk get put in charge of the donation can?
 @Wickedwitch The only people who trot out this stale cliche are the ones who don't want to be held accountable for their own actions. Sorry, kiddo, but it doesn't work that way out here in the real world. Â
@Wickedwitch A mistake? time to "prey"? and forgive? He's a fricking criminal who stole from the families of dead police officers. Go thump your bible somewhere else. He deserves what he's going to get. A long prison term.
 @Wickedwitch This wasn't a mistake, it was a blatant, intentional crime. He didn't drop a biscuit on the floor, he stole from widows.
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HUGE diff....
@Wickedwitch "prey"Â Freudian slip perhaps?
 @Wickedwitch Are you kidding????  He needs to serve time and "ask" for forgiveness from the people he has wronged! Â
@Wickedwitch I'm totally judging. I hope he spends the next 20 years in prison. I don't think that will happen, but one can hope.
Don't put the fox in charge of the hen house.