Wichita man stole $23,000 from U.S. government last year, indictment alleges
A federal grand jury returned an indictment earlier this month charging a Wichita man with stealing more than $23,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas announced Thursday.
Jack Crowder, 34, is charged with two counts of theft of government money or property and one count of engaging in illegal monetary transactions. He has pleaded not guilty, court records show. A public defender listed for him in court records did not immediately return a message seeking comment Thursday.
The indictment alleges Crowder “willfully and knowingly stole, purloined and converted to his own use” $17,688 from the Labor Department on Sept. 7, 2022, and another $5,412 the next day. He then withdrew approximately $18,000 from his Wheat State Credit Union account. The indictment alleges at least $10,000 of the withdrawn funds was money stolen from the government.
Details about how that happened were not included in the indictment or other available court records. Danielle Thomas, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said she was “unable to release anything about an open case beyond what’s in public documents.”
The indictment was filed in federal court in Wichita on June 13, court records show. Crowder made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gwynne Birzer on Wednesday, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is seeking forfeiture of the stolen money, and Crowder faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count if he is convicted, the indictment says.
This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 2:02 PM.
