Crime & Safety
MD Man Admits To Stealing $233K From His Employer: Report
A Maryland man made up a fake business and billed his employer for services, a report said. He now faces up to 20 years in prison.
BOWIE, MD — A Bowie man pleaded guilty last Wednesday to stealing $233,040 from his employer and its business partner, a report said. The fraud involved more than 2,000 unwarranted invoices between March 18, 2018 and July 20, 2018, the Department of Justice added.
The accused man, Howard Ware, worked for an environmental company that treats contaminated materials in Upper Marlboro. Ware, 42, was in charge of scheduling deliveries to and from that site.
His company frequently used a trucking business based in Charlotte Hall. Those truckers often subcontracted other drivers to work on their behalf.
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In early 2018, Ware was tasked with moving an especially large amount of material from the Upper Marlboro location. For that, he turned to the trucking company, who had to subcontract a driver for the project.
The DOJ report said Ware offered his imaginary driving services to the trucking company. Ware had no such business, and he did not plan on actually moving the materials, the writeup noted.
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Ware's employer thought he enlisted legitimate help from the trucking company, the DOJ wrote. The trucking company thought it was paying Ware's fictitious business to haul the material, the prosecutors mentioned. Neither company had any way of knowing whether the material was actually moved.
That meant Ware's employer paid the trucking business who then paid Ware for his nonexistent services, the report said. The plea agreement requires Ware to return the money.
Ware faces up to 20 years in federal prison on charges of wire fraud. The DOJ added that Ware's true jail time will likely be less than that maximum, however. A judge will sentence Ware on Feb. 26, 2021.
Robert Hur, the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland, and Jennifer Boone, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore office, announced Ware's plea last Wednesday.
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