Maryland Woman Charged With Theft of Contractor and Insurance Funds

A Maryland woman has been indicted on two counts of felony theft for allegedly stealing funds from a general contractor and from the state’s backup auto insurer.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said an Anne Arundel County grand jury charged Carolyn Rae Aldridge, of Crofton, Maryland, with the thefts.

The first indictment alleges that between August 2017 and January 2021, Aldridge stole 96 checks from a home improvement and general contracting company, for a total loss of $173,004.43. Aldridge worked as the office manager for the company and used her position to steal the checks and deposit them into her personal bank account without authorization, according to prosecutors.

The second indictment alleges that between January 2020 and February 2021, Aldridge stole 13 additional checks from the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund (MAIF), for a total loss of $12,291.85. Prosecutors allege that Aldridge stole the checks while working as a part-time contractual associate in the fiscal department for MAIF. All the checks were allegedly deposited into her personal bank account without authorization.

A criminal indictment is merely an accusation of wrongdoing, and Aldridge is presumed innocent until the state proves her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

“Stealing from an employer—whether a private business or a state-created entity like MAIF—is not just theft, it’s a betrayal of trust that harms coworkers, undermines public confidence, and erodes the integrity of institutions that serve Marylanders,” said Brown.

The investigation was led by the Brown’s criminal division with help from the Maryland Insurance Administration.

Topics
Fraud
Contractors
Maryland