Maryland Business Owner Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery in Federal Broadband Scheme

A Harford County man and business owner has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for his role in a years-long bribery and fraud scheme involving millions of dollars in broadband infrastructure contracts. The sentencing follows a May 2024 jury conviction for conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, and federal program bribery.

Wayne I. Kacher, Jr., 52, owned Bel Air Underground, Inc. (BAU), a Baltimore County-based company that frequently served as a subcontractor for the Maryland Broadband Cooperative (MdBC). MdBC, a nonprofit headquartered in Salisbury, aimed to expand broadband internet access to underserved areas throughout Maryland. Between 2014 and 2018, BAU received over $11 million in payments from MdBC, including $7.9 million for work connecting NASA Wallops Island to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary’s County.

During that time, federal prosecutors say Kacher provided MdBC’s then-president and CEO, William Patrick Mitchell, with a series of personal financial benefits. These included cash, vehicle-related payments, and construction work on Mitchell’s personal residence. In return, Mitchell ensured BAU received continued contract work from the cooperative.

Kacher’s sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher in Baltimore. His co-conspirator, Mitchell, was previously sentenced in October 2024 to one year and one day in prison. Authorities from both the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) led the investigation, which culminated in the trial and subsequent convictions.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

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