The former Assistant Director of Transportation for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday.
Charles Ewald, 37, of Knoxville was sentenced to 15 years with all but five years suspended plus five years of supervised probation after release, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (MCSAO).
According to MCSAO, Ewald stole about $324,500 from the MCPS Department of Transportation between at least 2016-2021 while he was Assistant Director. He paid $250,000 in restitution as part of a plea agreement, plus $74,500 is due by the end of his probation.
In May, Ewald pleaded guilty to charges of felony theft scheme over $100,000 and misdemeanor misconduct in office.
In June, former Director of the MCPS Department of Transportation Todd Watkins pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in office. According to MCSAO, Watkins failed to properly manage the contract for purchasing school buses and the use of purchasing cards, such that Ewald was able to steal the money.
In a written statement, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said, “We thank Judge McAuliffe for an appropriate and just sentence for this defendant who committed one of the worst financial crimes to ever victimize Montgomery County Public Schools. This was a breach of the community’s trust as Mr. Ewald stole a significant amount of taxpayer dollars over a period of several years.”
An investigation showed that Ewald used money to pay off a loan on his 2018 Lincoln Navigator and have landscaping work done, among other things.
