A deputy U.S. Marshal has pleaded guilty to using his government fleet card to buy thousands of dollars of gas for his personal pick-up truck.
Peter Rouse, 37, of Reisterstown, pleaded guilty in federal court in Greenbelt to theft of government property.
According to his plea agreement, he bought gas for his Ford F150 with the fleet charge card he was given to purchase fuel for his Marshals Service-issued Ford Crown Victoria. Prosecutors said he made between $4,000 and $8,300 in unlawful purchases between December 2008 and December 2010.
At the time, he was working for the Marshals Service’s office in the District. As part of his plea agreement, Rouse has agreed to resign.
Rouse came to authorities’ attention after his supervisors noticed that his fleet charge card expenses were significantly higher than other employees’ charges and that he had not provided proper receipts, court documents say.
His charge card also showed that he made fuel purchases on weekends, holidays and other times outside his work hours, the documents say.
Surveillance video from gas stations shows Rouse filling up his truck, and a GPS device investigators placed on the two vehicles shows that gas was purchased when the pick-up was at a gas station, but the Marshals Service car was not, according to court documents.
He could face up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 4.
