Metro Employees Accused of Long-Running Plot to Steal from Metro Fare Machines

ALEXANDRIA, VA—A Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) revenue technician and police officer have been accused of systematically stealing thousands of dollars in coins from Metro stations throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael Taborn, Metro Transit Chief of Police; and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement.

Horace Dexter McDade, 58, of Bowie, Md., and John Vincent Haile, 54, of Woodbridge, Va., were charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to commit theft from programs receiving federal funds, and they face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, if convicted. The two men were arrested late last night without incident, and they will make their initial appearance today at 2 p.m. at the Alexandria federal courthouse.

“Each night, the Metro put its trust—and its money—in the hands of these two defendants, and these men are accused of ripping off thousands of dollars from the Metro and local taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “We worked closely with Metro to investigate and develop this case, and we appreciate their commitment to holding those responsible for this theft responsible.”

“We appreciate the support of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in this case and their longstanding partnership with us,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Taborn. “I want to say clearly that we will not tolerate theft from Metro, and employees—especially law enforcement personnel—will be held accountable.”

“The individuals arrested are accused of stealing from the very system they were entrusted to support and protect,” said FBI ADIC McJunkin. “Together with the Metro Transit Police and our other partner agencies, the FBI will continue to vigorously pursue those who selfishly breach the public’s trust for their own private gain.”

According to an affidavit filed in court, McDade has worked for Metro since 1979 and is currently assigned as a revenue technician, servicing the Metro rail stations’ fare vendors when vendors malfunction. Haile was hired by the Metro Transit Police Department in 1997 and provides protection and security for revenue technicians as they travel throughout the Metro system transporting funds to and from the Metro Revenue Collection Facility in Alexandria, Va.

Court records allege that McDade and Haile conspired to steal bags of coins while working together transporting the funds for Metro in a company vehicle. While making their rounds, the two men allegedly made an unscheduled stop and concealed bags of coins at an underpass near the Revenue Collection Facility. After finishing their work, both men allegedly returned at different times and in different vehicles to the same drop-off location to retrieve the stolen funds. Court records indicate that this alleged suspicious activity occurred several times and that Haile often switched his assignment to work directly with McDade.

Haile is accused of using the stolen funds to purchase an extraordinary amount of Virginia Lottery tickets, often paying with multiple bags of coins containing $500 each. From October 2011 through December 2011, he allegedly paid more than $28,000 in cash and coins to purchase tickets, and bank records allegedly show unexplained cash deposits by Haile of more than $150,000 since 2008.

This ongoing investigation was conducted by the Metro Transit Police Department, Metro’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the the Alexandria Police Department and the Virginia Lottery. The Alexandria Commonwealth Attorney’s Office also assisted in this case. Assistant United States Attorney Chad Golder is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.