Former Cuyahoga County Employee Federally Charged on Seven-Figure Wire Fraud Charges

A former Cuyahoga County IT professional was indicted in federal court on Tuesday on wire fraud charges alleging that he siphoned millions from a previous job for personal gain.

Curtis McEwen of Avon, was charged on July 9 in the Northern District of Ohio Federal Court. The DOJ alleges the now former IT director for the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities manufactured false expense reports and employee invoices to redirect roughly $7.4 million to his own pockets at Saber Healthcare, where he worked for nearly two decades before being fired in March 2023.

He was hired by the county in July of that year.

“Curtis McEwen devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud Victim 1," the court records read, referring to McEwen's then place of employment, "and to obtain money and property from Victim 1 by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”

An employee directory on the Board of Developmental Disabilities had listed McEwen as its IT director Thursday; the listing was taken off the site as of Thursday afternoon. According to a county spokesperson, McEwen's alleged financial crimes did not extend to his work with the county.

“We are aware of the charges against former Cuyahoga DD IT Director Curtis McEwen," a county spokesperson told Scene. "He is no longer employed by Cuyahoga DD."

"As a public entity," they added, "we have many safeguards in place to ensure fiscal responsibility. We have reviewed all relevant records and are confident that our safeguards worked.”

A LinkedIn page for McEwen , which was shortened to Curtis M. on Thursday, showed the Avon resident had  worked as a director of information systems for Saber Healthcare Group, a long-term senior care facility based in Beachwood, from December 2006 to March 2023. The Feds say his fraudulent scheme began in 2014 and lasted through the rest of his employment.

According to the filing, McEwen had allegedly "falsely represented" on expense reports that he had paid contracted companies for "IT-related products and services." He then, the Feds say, created imitation invoices to "substantiate his payments."

McEwen allegedly siphoned $80,006 to $182,808 for each monthly invoice, and rerouted that money intended for third party companies into his own assets. Into a $11,000 2017 BMW R Nine T motorcycle; into a $15,000 2020 Ducati Diavel 1260 bike; into a Rolex Submariner; into a $44,000 Ressense Antwerp watch; into a $10,000 Luminor Panerai Automatic Power Reserve watch.

McEwen wrote on his profile that he spearheaded the design and maintenance of a digital network that spanned "120 facilities across seven states."

"I am passionate about leveraging my expertise and experience," he wrote, "to support the mission of improving healthcare outcomes and services for diverse communities."

McEwen was charged via an information filing, which generally means the defendant plans to plead guilty. He'll be arraigned on August 6.

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