Fire chief in San Mateo County charged in elaborate fraud scheme

A San Mateo County fire chief is facing 10 felony charges after he and his wife, who has fled the country, were accused of orchestrating a sophisticated credit card fraud scheme.

Mark Ladas, chief of the Central County Fire Department, which serves Hillsborough and Burlingame, and Peta Ladas, his wife, are accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars, tax evasion and filing false tax returns, said Karen Guidotti, chief deputy district attorney for San Mateo County.

Starting in January 2011, Peta Ladas, 49, allegedly opened numerous credit cards under fake names, Guidotti said, and then used them to make purchases from a fake business that she and Mark Ladas, 50, had set up using point-of-sale machines.

The proceeds from the fake business were then funneled into the couple’s personal bank accounts, including three in Mark Ladas’ name containing roughly $35,000 in allegedly ill-gotten gains, Guidotti said.

Peta Ladas was arrested in December 2012, but she made bail and fled the country. There is a warrant out for her arrest and the district attorney is actively pursuing her, Guidotti said.

Mark Ladas was placed on paid administrative leave from the Central County Fire Department as of Wednesday, according to Chief Administrative Officer Lisa Goldman.

“The deparartment is bigger than any one person,” she said in a statement. “This action will not affect the excellent service that our firefighters and civilian staff provide to our community all day, every day.”

Deputy Fire Chief John Kammeyer will serve as acting fire chief until a permanent replacement is found.

Mark Ladas now faces six counts of grand theft and two counts each of tax evasion and filing false tax returns, all felonies. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 and will be arraigned in San Mateo County court on Thursday, Guidotti said.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale