KC police officer who ran anti-crime charity indicted for wire fraud, money laundering
A Kansas City police officer has been indicted on 14 federal counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced Friday.
Aaron Wayne McKie, 46, has been a Kansas City Police Department officer since April 2000.
The charges allege he took more than $300,000 in donations for his own personal expenses over the span of 14 years.
From 2002 to 2023, McKie was assigned to the department’s Crime Free Multi-Housing unit.
From 2009 to 2023, he was also president of Mid-America Crime Free, Inc., a nonprofit that claimed to promote anti-crime programs and train staff in the rental housing industry.
According to the federal indictment, McKie defrauded MACF throughout his tenure with the organization. He advertised that money he raised at an annual golf tournament was going toward seminars to owners of rental properties and to train police officers. But the police department actually paid for those expenses because they were part of McKie’s job, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
McKie allegedly spent most of the funds for his personal use, including nearly $126,000 on travel, entertainment, restaurants and bars; $57,278 on retail and luxury items and $23,298 on household expenses. He also transferred additional funds to personal accounts.
Sgt. Phil DiMartino, a spokesman for KCPD, said the department learned of the potential fraud in September 2023. McKie was suspended, and investigators forwarded the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
McKie remains employed with the police department, DiMartino said Friday.
