Michael Kmec, Wire Fraud, Connecticut 2018

Michael Kmec, 40, of Marlborough, looted $173,010 from Connecticut College over four years through a calculated series of fraud and embezzlement schemes, culminating in an 18-month federal prison sentence. The former Director of Auxiliary Services exploited his position to siphon funds, divert checks, and hijack student reimbursements before his April 2018 termination.

U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea handed down the sentence in Hartford, ordering 18 months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release. Kmec pleaded guilty on November 14, 2018, to one count of wire fraud, admitting to manipulating college finances while overseeing the print shop, bookstore, vending, transportation, laundry, residence halls, and the Camel Card program.

From 2014 to 2018, Kmec weaponized his authority to approve third-party reimbursements, creating fraudulent billing schemes that funneled cash into accounts he controlled. He rerouted incoming checks meant for the college and diverted funds from the Camel Card system, which serves as both ID and debit for students. A college-issued laptop vanished under his watch, later confirmed as stolen property.

One of the most brazen aspects of Kmec’s fraud involved more than 80 reimbursement checks issued by a college contractor to students. Instead of delivering them, Kmec intercepted and deposited each into his personal bank account, starving students of rightful funds while padding his own pockets. The theft went undetected for years due to the layered nature of his deception.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New London Police Department联合 investigated the case, peeling back layers of financial manipulation that spanned departments and systems. Their probe revealed a pattern of abuse that exploited institutional trust and weak internal oversight at the New London campus.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Cherry prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut. “This was not a mistake—it was a sustained, deliberate theft from an institution that trusted him,” Cherry stated. “Kmec betrayed that trust for personal gain. Today’s sentence holds him accountable.”

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