Former Ørsted IT specialist used company card for child support, Gucci shopping spree

Katie Mulvaney, Providence Journal
Updated ·2 min read

PROVIDENCE – A former Ørsted North America information-technology specialist has admitted to defrauding the offshore wind company of close to $159,000.

Alfred Appiah, 34, has agreed to plead guilty to three counts of wire fraud for using a company credit card to pay for personal expenses such as child support, plane tickets, a trip to an amusement park, jewelry and other items, according to a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors.

Company card used for Six Flags trip, Gucci shopping spree

Appiah began working for Ørsted, the Danish offshore wind farm developer, as an information technology technician in 2019, according to the complaint. Appiah frequently traveled in the role and was issued a MasterCard issued through Barclays Bank for company expenses.

From June 3, 2021, to Dec. 29, 2021, Appiah instead used the card to pay for a host of personal expenses, including hotel stays, tickets to Six Flags, shopping at the Gucci store in Boston, package stores, beauty shops, real-estate management, insurance and child support, court documents show. In total, he made $158,850 in unauthorized purchases, federal prosecutors said.

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Appiah is due to be arraigned Feb. 21. He faces up to 60 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.

Appiah worked for U.S. District Court in Rhode Island in as an information-technology support specialist from April 10, 2023, through Dec. 15, 2023, according to Chief Deputy Clerk Frank Perry.

His lawyer, Kensley Barrett, emphasized that the allegations and investigation predate Appiah's employment with the District Court.

All the federal judges in Rhode Island have recused themselves from hearing Appiah's case. It is being handled by a federal judge in Massachusetts.

Ørsted owns the Block Island Wind Farm, the five-turbine pilot project off Block Island that became America’s first offshore wind farm in 2016.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ex-Ørsted IT worker used company card for $159K in personal expenses