CRANBERRY TWP — A Mechanicsburg man has paid back $90,000 to a township restaurateur he defrauded earlier this year, after entering a guilty plea last week.

Carl A. McNeil, 54, was charged in May with felony theft by deception and receiving stolen property a case that began in February 2017.

On Friday, the felony charge of receiving stolen property was dropped and the theft by deception charge was changed from a felony to a misdemeanor. McNeil pleaded guilty to that charge, and paid $90,000 in restitution, a $500 fine and various court costs.

Court documents indicate the victim, Christopher Thompson, was defrauded by McNeil while Thompson and his wife were looking to open a third location for their bar and restaurant and secure funding to buy out a partner from another business agreement.

An investigation found that in February 2017 Thompson was contacted by a man who claimed to work for a company that was part of a network of brokers, documents state.

Thompson was told he needed to provide 10 percent of the loan amount, which would be non-refundable, as a way of showing investors, “he would be able to fund his business project.”

He provided his credit rating, six months of bank statements and his tax returns, and completed a form asking for personal information. He also sent two wire transfers for “expenses finding him the funding.”

On May 27, 2017, Thompson was told that $900,000 was secured through C&D Financial Group LLC/Creative Capital Partners/C&D Corp. Services. He was told he needed to front $90,000 to secure the funding, documents state. Thompson transferred the funds, and was told he would receive the loan Aug. 3, 2017.

The complaint states the funds were not received on that date, and Thompson was given several excuses as to why. Thompson requested a refund in August 2017, and was told it would take up to 30 days. He told police he had not spoken to any of the involved parties since September 2017.

Officers spoke with McNeil July 10. He allegedly said he was familiar with Thompson’s account, and that his company had been in contact about the delay in funds. McNeil allegedly told officers the delay in funds caused him to furlough his employees, “due to the financial strain it caused on his business,” the complaint states.