A former union board member from Wilmington has been apprehended in the U.S. Virgin Islands on charges of theft and fraud after allegedly embezzling more than $126,000 from his union.
Officials said Matthew D. Adams, 31, was arrested on Thursday, October 10, 2024, by U.S. Marshals on Smith Bay Road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. His arrest came after he traveled to the Virgin Islands earlier this year police said Monday.
Adams, a former member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3911, is accused of writing fraudulent checks to himself between July 2021 and May 2024, using the union’s bank account. The checks were allegedly deposited into his personal account, totaling over $126,000. Officials said investigators uncovered that Adams had forged signatures to carry out the fraudulent transactions.
AFSCME Local 3911, which represents the New Castle County 911 Emergency Communications Center and Emergency Medical Services Paramedics, reported the financial discrepancies to detectives in July 2024, prompting the investigation. Upon identifying Adams as the suspect, authorities discovered he had fled the mainland U.S. for the Virgin Islands according to the local newspaper in the Virgin Islands.
The paper went on to say that Adams was spotted by an off-duty U.S. Marshal at a bar on Sapphire Beach, who then alerted local authorities. Following his arrest, Adams appeared in court the next day, where he waived his right to contest extradition. Because no bond has been set by Delaware authorities, Adams was returned to the custody of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections. He is awaiting extradition.
The charges against Adams include one felony count of theft involving property valued at $100,000 or more and one felony count of second-degree forgery. Delaware officials have 30 days to bring Adams back to face justice, with a review hearing scheduled for November 8, 2024.