Morgantown Man Stole $340,000 in Broadband Funding

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Timothy Chad Henson, a 35-year-old Morgantown man, has been charged with money laundering after allegedly defrauding the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of $340,000 in broadband funding.

Henson, the owner of Clearfiber, Inc., an internet service provider in Monongalia County, applied for and was awarded $1.96 million in grants from the USDA’s Community Connect Program to provide high-speed internet services in Monongalia and Marion Counties.

However, according to court documents, Henson submitted false invoices to the USDA in order to receive more than $340,000 in funds. He then allegedly transferred $322,900 into another bank account for his personal use.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Wagner on behalf of the government.

Henson is scheduled to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi on May 29. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison, with a sentence to be determined by a federal district court judge.

It’s worth noting that an information is merely an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The USDA’s Community Connect Program is designed to provide broadband services to rural areas, and Henson’s alleged actions are a betrayal of the trust placed in him as a recipient of these funds.

The full extent of Henson’s scheme is still unknown, and it’s unclear at this time whether he acted alone or in conjunction with others.

As the investigation continues, one thing is clear: Henson’s alleged actions have put a stain on the integrity of the program and the communities it serves.