Man Sentenced For Henry Mill Home Owners Association Theft

BERLIN – A Berlin man will spend a month in jail after pleading guilty to a theft scheme involving a local homeowners association.

At a hearing Tuesday, Berlin resident Andrew Charles Riley was sentenced to six months in jail with all but one month suspended. The sentence comes after Riley pleaded guilty in July to a theft scheme involving the Henry Mill Home Owners Association.

Riley, 61, initially faced multiple charges related to the theft of close to $16,000 from the Henry Mill Home Owners Association. According to charging documents, the Berlin Police Department received a complaint regarding embezzlement/theft from the Henry Mill Home Owners Association (HOA) in April. The treasurer of the HOA reportedly told police he’d noticed inconsistencies in the organization’s financial statements. As he reviewed the statements, he identified several questionable transactions made by the HOA’s previous treasurer, Riley. The complainant told police he’d identified $15,823.18 in transactions that occurred between 2016 and 2020 and had brought the information to the HOA’s board of directors, which opted to bring the matter to the police.

Investigators identified several checks written from the HOA account by Riley either to himself, his company or his wife, according to charging documents. While several ranged from $130 to $675, one check for $9,550 included a memo of tree removal while another for $3,600 listed just an invoice number on the memo line.

When asked what services his company provided the HOA, Riley told police he filed the yearly tax return form. As for how much money the company made from the HOA, Riley said he’d charged “a couple hundred dollars” a year for invoices and postage.

“When asked about the check written for tree removal, Riley stated that he didn’t remember writing those,” charging documents read. “Riley went on to state that he often paid for HOA expenses from his own account and reimbursed himself through the HOA account. Riley stated he did this to make things whole.”

Riley reportedly told investigators he’d provide legitimate invoice documentation to prove his statements. Instead, they received a call from his attorney inquiring if Riley could pay back the money he was accused of taking “to avoid further investigation and possible prosecution.” According to charging documents, the attorney was advised the HOA wanted to further the official police investigation.

On June 1, Riley was charged with one count of theft $10,000 to under $100,000, one count of theft scheme $10,000 to under $100,000, one count of theft $1,500 to under $25,000 and one count of theft scheme $1,500 to under $25,000. Riley accepted a plea offer and plead guilty to the latter count of theft scheme.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.