Vienna Metro Station Manager Charged in Embezzlement Scheme

Mary Ann Barton, editor

The manager of the Vienna Metro Station, the closest metro stop for Centreville residents, has been charged with embezzlement by the Metro Transit Police, after they say he collected paper fare cards from riders and loaded credit onto SmarTrip cards to resell them, NBC4 first reported.

Kenneth Peters, 44, of Falls Church, was suspended after he was arrested last week. He had worked for Metro for 14 years.

Police say Peters allowed riders with insufficient credit on fare cards to leave the subway system without visiting add-fare machines. They say he would save the fare cards and transfer the small amount of credit onto SmarTrip cards "for the purpose of reselling them.'' He allegedly accumulated nearly $500 in credits on the SmarTrip cards.

Authorities began an investigation after the Metro treasury department noticed unusual fare card transactions at the Vienna station.