Associated Press Published

Ex-Homeland Security Official Accused of Fraud in W.Va.

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A Virginia man who is a former director of a Homeland Security division has been indicted on charges he used his government-issued credit card to obtain more than $100,000 in cash advances at the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town.
 
U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced Monday that 55-year-old Gene Protogiannis of Lovettsville, Va., has been indicted on 45 counts of wire fraud. He says Protogiannis used the government credit card to obtain $115,000 in cash advances in 2013.
 
The government says Protogiannis was the acting director of the Tactical Operations Division for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a division of Homeland Security. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Martinsburg on Wednesday.
 
Protogiannis’ federal public defender did not immediately return a telephone message left by The Associated Press.