Former Washington State Worker Sentenced For $900K Embezzlement

Matthew Randall Ping, a former Washington state employee who worked at the Office of Administrative Hearings, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for embezzling nearly $900,000 from taxpayer funds to support his gambling addiction. Between 2019 and 2023, Ping used a sophisticated scheme involving fake businesses and manipulated credit card transactions to funnel state money into accounts he controlled, with a total of 210 fraudulent transactions documented. In addition to prison time, he was ordered to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release. The fraud was uncovered following a state audit that revealed inadequate internal controls at the agency and Ping's repeated bankruptcy filings, highlighting his financial troubles and gambling compulsion. Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright acknowledged the seriousness of Ping's crime but noted it was driven by severe addiction, while Ping expressed remorse and blamed predatory casino practices for encouraging his gambling. This case represents the largest insider embezzlement from Washington State in at least 15 years, severely undermining trust in state financial safeguards.