Hawley woman spent days facing Wayne County felony hate crime charges before Waymart man confessed he framed her

HONESDALE — Korin Avery Carl, 21, of Hawley, woke up on Dec. 13 as a suspected neo-Nazi.

Pennsylvania State Police at Honesdale had arrested her on felony ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats charges. Her mugshot ran on TV stations across Wayne, Lackawanna, Monroe, and Luzerne counties. She hired a lawyer. She posted $25,000 bail.

Six days later, the Wayne County District Attorney’s office withdrew every charge.

John Andrew Maddi, 38, of Waymart, had walked into PSP Honesdale and confessed. He made the whole thing up. He framed her.

Now, as Maddi awaits a Dec. 31 preliminary hearing in Honesdale on 18 criminal charges, questions remain about how Wayne County law enforcement moved so fast to arrest an innocent woman — and whether basic investigative work could have spared her.

From Email to Arrest in 48 Hours

The timeline is damning.

• Dec. 7: A Jewish-owned Honesdale printing business receives an antisemitic email appearing to come from Carl, a former employee. The sender claims to have “recently decided to become a Neo Nazi” and threatens that “your people should be exterminated.”
• Dec. 9: Trooper Robert Wareham files charges against Carl. Two days. No digital forensics. No IP trace.
• Dec. 13: Carl is arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Bonnie L. Carney in Hawley. She posts $25,000 unsecured bail.
• Dec. 14-15: WNEP, Fox56, and regional news stations broadcast her arrest across northeastern Pennsylvania.
• Dec. 15: Maddi sees the coverage and confesses at PSP Honesdale.
• Dec. 16: All charges against Carl withdrawn.

From complaint to arrest: two days. From arrest to exoneration: three — but only because the real perpetrator turned himself in.

The Investigation That Wasn’t

PSP Honesdale, the Wayne County District Attorney’s office, and Trooper Wareham did not respond to requests for comment.

Their silence leaves basic questions unanswered:

Did anyone trace the email? Every email contains metadata revealing where it originated. A subpoena to the email provider would have shown the message came from Maddi’s computer — the same computer he later surrendered as evidence.

Did anyone ask who had motive? Maddi was fired from the Honesdale business earlier this year. He blamed Carl, telling WNEP she “complained about him behind his back.” A 38-year-old man fired from his job, blaming a female coworker, then sending a fake email to destroy her life — not a complicated motive to uncover.

Did anyone check Carl’s background? She had no criminal history beyond a 2022 Pike County speeding ticket. A 21-year-old with a clean record suddenly declaring herself a neo-Nazi should have raised red flags. Did investigators check her social media? Interview anyone who knew her?

Why the rush? Ethnic intimidation and terroristic threats carry years in state prison. Why did PSP Honesdale move from receiving the complaint to filing felony charges in 48 hours?

The Damage

Carl’s charges were withdrawn — not dismissed, not expunged. The arrest stays on her record unless she petitions for removal.

Her mugshot was broadcast across northeastern Pennsylvania. Those images remain online.

For days, anyone searching her name found stories calling her a neo-Nazi who threatened to exterminate Jews. Her employer saw it. Her family saw it. Her neighbors saw it.

She retained attorney William James Aquilino of Toczydlowski Law Office in Archbald. Legal fees don’t disappear when charges do.

Aquilino did not respond to requests for comment. Carl could not be reached.

What’s Next

Maddi faces 18 charges — four felonies and 14 misdemeanors — for framing Carl and threatening the Honesdale business owner. He called it a “tasteless prank.”

He remains free on $100,000 unsecured bail. His preliminary hearing is 9 a.m. Dec. 31 at Wayne County Central Court in Honesdale before Judge Carney.

Carl’s case is closed. The court file says “Withdrawn.”

No one has explained how it got that far.

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Wayne County Case Information

Commonwealth v. John Andrew Maddi

• Docket: MJ-22302-CR-0000184-2025
• Charges: 18 counts including ethnic intimidation (F3), criminal use of communication facility (F3), terroristic threats (M1), identity theft (M1), forgery (M1)
• Bail: $100,000 unsecured
• Status: Preliminary hearing Dec. 31, 2025

Commonwealth v. Korin Avery Carl

• Docket: MJ-22302-CR-0000181-2025
• Disposition: All charges withdrawn Dec. 16, 2025

Maddi is presumed innocent until proven guilty.