A former state employee from Olympia, Washington, has admitted guilt in a scheme to embezzle nearly $900,000 from the State of Washington. Matthew Randall Ping, 48, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making a false tax return in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced the plea.
Ping's sentencing is set for September 9, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright.
According to court documents and the plea agreement, Ping joined the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) in 2009 and rose to Management Analyst by 2017. He served as the department’s credit card custodian and between 2019 and 2023, used his position to embezzle at least $878,115.
The scheme involved opening accounts with payment processors under names that suggested they were legitimate OAH vendors. Between 2019 and 2021, he charged over $330,000 to OAH credit cards as payments to these fake vendors but directed the funds to accounts he controlled. In 2021, he continued this fraudulent activity through another payment processor account, stealing an additional $530,000.
Ping also made personal purchases totaling $17,359 using OAH credit cards at Verizon and Walmart.
To avoid detection by state procedures designed to catch credit card fraud, Ping manipulated transaction reviews by providing false or incomplete lists for approval by co-workers. Afterward, he would add fraudulent charges himself without oversight.
In total, Ping executed 210 transactions with fake vendors resulting in a loss of $860,756 to the state. Combined with improper personal charges on his state-issued credit card amounting to $17,359, the total loss reached $878,115.
The Washington State Auditor’s Office first uncovered the embezzlement leading to Ping's resignation in 2023.
Ping also failed to report stolen funds on his income tax returns from 2020-2023 resulting in a tax loss of $240,247. He has agreed to pay restitution both to the state and for his tax obligations.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation worked alongside the Auditor’s Office on this case which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dane A. Westermeyer.
