Feds Charge Ex-Philadelphia City Worker In Supply Scam

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former mailroom worker at the Philadelphia Water Department is facing federal charges in what authorities call a million-dollar scam involving printer ink and toner cartridges.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that since 2006, 61-year-old Calvin Duncan used city funds to place more than $1.3 million in excess orders for ink and toner. Investigators said Duncan had the loot shipped to an Arkansas printer supply company that paid him $545,000.

The FBI alleges Derek and Anita Willis of Russellville, Ark., bought the discounted ink to resell at markup prices at their business, Laser Cartridge Plus Inc.

The charges against Duncan carry a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison and a $1.25 million fine. The Willises face similar penalties. It wasn't immediately clear if the three defendants had lawyers.

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