According to his Maryland criminal attorney, the former chief financial officer of the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau is expected to plead guilty to charges of theft from a program receiving federal funds. Benjamin L. King, Jr., CFO of Legal Aid from 1978 to 2008, is accused of conspiring with Wendell Jackson to steal from the organization through an inflated invoicing scheme in which the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau overpaid for office supplies from a company that the two men created. Jackson allegedly sent fraudulent invoices which overcharged for purchased products, and King paid the invoices with Legal Aid funds. The men pocketed the difference in the real price and the inflated price, with King alleged to have received 85% of the embezzled funds.

Federal prosecutors estimate that King and Jackson used the scheme to steal $1.1 million from the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau between 2004 and 2007. Prosecutors say approximately $275,000 of that amount came from federal funds supporting the public interest organization. King's Maryland criminal lawyerlawyer, however, says that while his client is ready to plead guilty to charges of stealing from the Bureau, he disputes the amount. King's defense lawyer claims that the involvement of another person in the scheme makes the exact amount difficult to determine, calling the situation "murky." King and his attorney estimate the amount to be over $400,000, but say it falls short of $1 million--a federal sentencing guidelines threshold.

King's alleged partner is also expected to plead guilty later this month to charges resulting from the scheme.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal defense firm serving Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our DC Criminal Defense Attorney and Virginia Criminal Lawyer websites.