Baltimore County Business Owner Sentenced to 20 Months in Federal Prison for Bribery

Baltimore, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., 52, of Harford County, Maryland, to 20 months in federal prison for conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and federal program bribery.  A federal jury found Kacher guilty on May 21, 2024, after a seven-day trial.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) – Mid-Atlantic Field Office.

As detailed in trial testimony, the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, Incorporated (MdBC) was a not-for-profit corporation whose purpose was to work with internet-service providers to offer broadband internet service to underserved and unserved areas in Maryland.  Public and private entities could join the cooperative and gain access to the broadband infrastructure that MdBC installed for a fee.  William Patrick Mitchell served as president and chief executive officer of MdBC, which was located in Salisbury, Maryland.

Kacher was the president and owner of Bel Air Underground, Inc. (BAU), a company that was principally located in Baltimore County, Maryland.  BAU frequently acted as a subcontractor on projects for MdBC.  From 2014 to 2018, MdBC paid BAU more than $11 million for broadband network-related work.  Approximately $7.9 million of the $11 million was for work installing and improving a fiber-optic broadband connection from NASA Wallops Island to Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, to enhance the communications capacity between those locations.

The trial evidence showed that from at least 2014 to 2018, Kacher provided Mitchell with financial benefits, including cash payments, and payments for an all-terrain vehicle and a John Deere Gator owned by Mitchell.  Kacher also paid for renovations and improvements to Mitchell’s residence, including for the construction of a pole building on Mitchell’s property.  The defendant gave these items to Mitchell in exchange for the work that MdBC was subcontracting to BAU.

On October 7, 2024, Judge Gallagher sentenced Mitchell to one year and one day for his role in the scheme.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and DCIS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Christine Goo who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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