A federal jury in Maryland has returned guilty verdicts against Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., 51, of Harford County, on charges of conspiring to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery, honest services wire fraud, and bribery involving federal funds.
The verdict was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service – Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
Kacher’s company, Bel Air Underground, Inc. (BAU), a business based in Baltimore County, received over $11 million in payments from the Maryland Broadband Cooperative (MdBC) between 2014 and 2018.
The trial evidence revealed that Kacher provided financial benefits to William Patrick Mitchell, the President and CEO of MdBC, including cash payments, and payments for an all-terrain vehicle and a John Deere Gator. Kacher also paid for renovations and improvements to Mitchell’s residence.
The guilty verdict was the result of a seven-day trial, and Kacher faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for conspiracy; twenty years in federal prison for honest services wire fraud; and a maximum of ten years in prison for federal program bribery at sentencing, not yet scheduled by the court.
Mitchell, 58, previously pleaded guilty to Counts One and Two of the Superseding Indictment, which charged him with Conspiracy and Honest Services Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 1346. Judge Gallagher will sentence Mitchell on October 4, 2024.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended DCIS and the FBI for their work in the investigation, and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Christine Goo, who are prosecuting the federal case.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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