Evester Edd was charged with wire fraud, theft and making false statements in an alleged scheme to defraud the government by working as a federal employee and federal contractor at the same time. The Silver Spring resident is a former senior human resources employee for the Peace Corps.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the arrest of Edd, 64, on Wednesday.
The charges of wire fraud, theft of government funds and making false statements to federal agents could send Edd to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud. The prison time could also include 10 years for theft of government property, five years for false statements to federal agents, and significant fines and restitution.
The charging affidavit accuses Edd of falsifying his timecards submitted to multiple federal agencies and misrepresenting the amount of work he performed for the government. This scheme involved the use of wire communications to submit false time and attendance reports resulting in double billing for tens of thousands of dollars.
Additional Charges
In addition, when completing documentation for a security clearance, Edd allegedly misrepresented the nature of his ties to individuals overseas.
During an interview with federal agents investigating the case, Edd was allegedly dishonest about electronic accounts he created, actions he took, and money he sent to foreign nationals in exchange for explicit content, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the affidavit, Edd allegedly abused his government access to computers and systems on more than 1,000 occasions to access, save, and transmit Privacy Act information and agency sensitive information. He sent protected government information via commercial email accounts to commercial email servers and his mobile devices.
The Investigation
This arrest marks the end of a yearlong investigation. In November 2024, federal agents executed a search warrant for Edd’s home to recover his electronic devices. The following month, during the pending criminal investigation Edd retired from federal service.
“Public service is a public trust, and that trust is broken when government employees falsify records or otherwise engagement in fraudulent behavior,” said Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
