Special to Iredell Free News

A Charlotte man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to wire fraud in connection with the theft of approximately $1.6 million from two Mooresville companies.

Marc Weiss, 48, entered the guilty pleas before U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler.

According to filed court documents and evidence introduced in Wednesday’s plea hearing, Weiss engaged in a scheme to defraud two Mooresville companies, where he was employed as a bookkeeper, from 2016 to 2022.

Over the course of the scheme, Weiss abused his position and access to the companies’ financial accounts to make more than 120 fraudulent transfers totaling $1.6 million from the companies’ accounts into bank accounts under Weiss’s control, according to prosecutors.

To disguise the fraud, Weiss created fake entries in the victim companies’ books and records, categorizing the fraudulent transfers as payments to existing vendors for software development, and advertising and marketing expenses, court records indicate.

As Weiss admitted in court, he generally used the embezzled funds to pay for personal expenses, including to pay for a luxury apartment in Charlotte, to make payments for high-end vehicles, and to pay for travel and vacations.

Weiss was released on bond following the hearing. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date for Weiss has not been set.

U.S. Attorney Dena J. King thanked the U.S. Secret Service and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny G. Sugar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.