Matthew Adams, a former union board member from Wilmington, has been extradited to Delaware after his arrest in the U.S. Virgin Islands on charges of theft and fraud, following accusations that he embezzled more than $126,000 from his union.
Adams, 31, was apprehended on Thursday, October 10, 2024, by U.S. Marshals on Smith Bay Road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. His arrest followed an investigation into allegations that he had stolen from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3911, which represents the New Castle County 911 Emergency Communications Center and Emergency Medical Services Paramedics.
According to officials, Adams allegedly wrote fraudulent checks to himself between July 2021 and May 2024, depositing the money into his personal account. The total amount stolen exceeded $126,000, with investigators discovering forged signatures on the checks. The union reported the financial discrepancies to authorities in July 2024, which prompted an investigation. Investigators later learned that Adams had gone to the Virgin Islands earlier in the year.
His arrest came after an off-duty U.S. Marshal reportedly spotted him at a bar on Sapphire Beach. The marshal alerted local authorities, leading to Adams’ capture. Following his arrest, Adams appeared in a Virgin Islands court, where he waived his right to contest extradition. He was held in custody by the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections while awaiting extradition to Delaware.
On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Adams was extradited back to Delaware by New Castle County Detectives, working with the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Delaware Attorney General’s Extradition Unit. Upon his return, he was charged with one felony count of theft involving property valued at $100,000 or more, and one felony count of second-degree forgery.
Adams was arraigned at the Justice of the Peace Court 2 and subsequently committed to the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to pay a $120,000 cash bail.