McCANDLESS TWP, Allegheny County — A Butler County man is facing a forgery charge for allegedly altering documents to claim a failure of bonus payments.

Jerry L. Carrel, 41, of Mars, was charged July 11 by the Allegheny County District Attorney for his alleged misdeeds while working for Information Technology Procurement Sourcing (ITPS) LLC.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators uncovered Carrel's alleged crimes while investigating former CEO Eric V. Cunningham in December 2018. Cunningham faces theft and forgery charges in a separate incident.

The complaint notes that Carrel was hired in February 2017, and an agreement between him and Cunningham indicates he would be eligible for a $15,000 quarterly bonus. That bonus would be determined by Cunningham and then-CFO Dave Mehalick.

After leaving the company, he filed a nonpayment of wages claim with the state's Department of Labor and Industry for $63,520 in unpaid quarterly bonus payments.

ITPS officials checked Carrel's personnel file and allegedly found an agreement with different wording, stating that the bonus would be paid for the full $15,000 each quarter. The contract only was signed by Carrel and not by Cunningham. Mehalick's name was removed.

The two agreements were found to be on different letterhead, one of which was created on the same day Carrel signed the guaranteed agreement. Cunningham told investigators he never would have authorized an agreement that guaranteed bonus payments.

Carrel allegedly admitted to investigators that he created the second agreement document and that he changed the wording and removed Mehalick's name from the document.

He allegedly “voiced frustration” to investigators that Cunningham and Mehalick received bonuses even though “money was tight” at the company and he did not receive such incentives.

Officials from the Department of Labor and Industry confirmed they were given the altered document as part of Carrel's unpaid wage filing.

Carrel was arraigned July 15 and is free on $10,000 unsecured bond. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in Allegheny County District Court in McCandless on Wednesday.