WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has ordered a District of Columbia employee arrested on corruption charges to remain in jail while the case against him proceeds.
U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola ordered Yusuf Acar held Tuesday, saying he was struck by a recorded conversation, cited in court documents, in which Acar said he would flee to his native Turkey if he was caught.
Acar's lawyer argued that he was merely boasting and that he has strong ties to the Washington area, including four daughters.
Authorities also found $65,000 in cash in Acar's home and $4,500 in the pajamas he was arrested in, prosecutors said. Three U.S. passports and one Turkish passport Acar might have used were seized.
Acar, who was the acting chief security officer in D.C.'s technology office, is accused of defrauding the city through several schemes. They include falsifying bills for items that were never delivered and then splitting the money with the vendors who submitted them.
Acar was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday.
