Man charged with fraud over banana peel fall, lawsuit

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maryland man accused of staging a fall on a banana peel in a southeast Washington Metro station elevator has been charged with fraud.

Metro says 42-year-old Maurice Owens of District Heights sued the transit agency for $15,000, claiming he injured his left leg and hip in a fall at the Potomac Avenue station in August.

Surveillance video shows Owens dropping a banana peel as he looks in the direction of the camera. He steps on the peel as the elevator door opens, and the video shows him appearing to thrusting himself forward and falling to the ground.

The claim against Metro was thrown out, and Owens has been charged with felony second-degree fraud. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

A listed number for Owens is someone else’s phone.