Former Union Board Member Extradited to Delaware for Embezzling Over $126,000

Wilmington, DE — Matthew Adams, a former board member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees AFSCME Local 3911, has been extradited to Delaware after his arrest in the U.S. Virgin Islands on October 10, 2024. Adams faces serious charges of theft and fraud, accused of embezzling over $126,000 from his union.

Adams, 31, was apprehended by U.S. Marshals at a bar on Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas, following an investigation into fraudulent activities that reportedly took place between July 2021 and May 2024.

Authorities allege that Adams wrote numerous checks to himself, depositing the funds into his personal account and forging signatures to facilitate the theft.

The discrepancies were reported to authorities by the union in July 2024, prompting further investigation, which revealed Adams had fled to the Virgin Islands earlier in the year.

Upon his arrest, Adams waived his right to contest extradition in a Virgin Islands court. He was held in custody by the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections until his extradition to Delaware on October 22, 2024.

New Castle County Detectives, in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Delaware Attorney General’s Extradition Unit, facilitated his return.

In Delaware, Adams was charged with one felony count of theft involving property valued at $100,000 or more and one felony count of second-degree forgery.

He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 2 and is currently held at the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to post a $120,000 cash bail.

 

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