A Butler man was charged with 281 felony counts of fraud after police said he used his employer’s credit card to purchase gift cards worth more than $31,000 over two years.

Charges were filed Thursday against Joshua S. Carson, 36, by state police in Westmoreland County. Carson was released under an unsecured bond of $100,000.

The investigation began in 2019, according to charging documents, when Carson’s employer at C&W Works in Gibsonia identified questionable charges on his credit card.

The investigating officer said the employer kept American Express cards in company trucks for fuel purchases.

“He noticed numerous purchases at GetGo for $129 and $139, which he thought was unusual,” the officer said.

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