A Maryland man who worked as an Air Force travel coordinator has been sentenced to prison for stealing more than $1 million in government funds.
A federal judge sentenced Eddie Ray Johnson Jr., 60, of Brandywine, to 16 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The first 12 months of his sentence will be served in home confinement.
Johnson is accused of using his government-issued travel credit card to steal more than $1.1 million in cash advances.
Johnson was a civilian employee with the Air Force from 2003 to 2018. His most recent role was as a travel coordinator in the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Legislative Liaison. There he planned congressional travel and reviewed accounting packages.
From 2014 to 2017, Johnson admitted using his government credit card to get the money, of which at least $774,000 he used personally. He spent the money on living expenses, a baby grand piano, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, family vacations and his family members, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Maryland said.
In addition to his prison time, Johnson has been ordered to perform 500 hours of community service, pay $15,000 fine and forfeit $4,000 seized during a search in November 2019. He must also pay more than $1.1 million restitution.
