Gregory A. White, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, together with Cromwell A. Handy, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cleveland Field Office, C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Michael McGrath, Chief, Cleveland Division of Police, announced today that a criminal information was filed against James Oppermann, age 57, of 7655 Sherman Road, Chesterland, Ohio, charging him with conspiracy to bribe a public official in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

According to the information, Oppermann, the owner and operator of Richmond Valve and Pipe, conspired with Norman Gore, the General Storekeeper of the Cleveland Water Department, to engage in a bribery scheme that lasted from 1999 until early 2003. The information alleges that Oppermann paid bribes in the form of over $7,000 in cash to Gore in exchange for Gore processing the paperwork for the City of Cleveland to pay Richmond Valve and Pipe and in exchange for Gore selecting Richmond Valve and Pipe for emergency contracts.
The information alleges that as a result of the bribes, Richmond Valve and Pipe received profits totaling approximately $37,000 over a three-year period.

If convicted, the Defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines which depend upon a number of factors unique to each case, including the Defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, his role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum. The maximum potential penalties for the conspiracy offense, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, are five years imprisonment, a $250,000.00 fine and three years of supervised release following any period of incarceration.

United States Attorney Gregory White said this of the information filed today: “This information is another chapter in the federal government’s continuing investigation into fraud and corruption at the Cleveland Water Department. The charge in the information sets forth not only a violation of law, but a violation of the public trust. I want to specifically compliment the agents of the IRS, the FBI and the Cleveland Police Department for working so hard to build this important case.”

The information filed today follows the convictions of three former City of Cleveland Water Division employees and four Water Division contractors:
(1) Norman Gore, General Storekeeper at the Water Division, was convicted on April 25, 2005 and sentenced to 60 months incarceration. He was ordered to pay $1,337,597.20 restitution to the City of Cleveland.
(2) James Stallworth, Warehouse Manager at the Water Division, was convicted on November 18, 2004. Stallworth was sentenced to a 33 month term of imprisonment and ordered to pay $793,000 restitution to the City of Cleveland.
(3) Kenneth McNeil, Head Storekeeper at the Water Division, was convicted on November 17, 2004 and sentenced to 3 years probation. He was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the City of Cleveland.
(4) Joseph B. Sturman, President and Owner of Victory White Metal Company, was convicted on November 22, 2004 and sentenced to 24 months incarceration, a $10,000 fine, and ordered to pay $1,156,853 restitution to the City of Cleveland. Sturman agreed to forfeit $584,705 in illegal proceeds.
(5) Samuel Petrony, Head of the Water Division at Victory White Metal Co., was convicted on November 29, 2004 and sentenced to 41 months incarceration and ordered to pay $1,949,853 restitution to the City of Cleveland.
(6) Arnold Kaufman, President of Woodhill Supply Co., was convicted on January 5, 2005 and was sentenced to 21 months incarceration and a $5,000 fine. Kaufman was ordered to pay $180,744.21 in restitution to the City of Cleveland, and Kaufman agreed to forfeit $90,372.10 in illegal proceeds.
(7) Michael Semlar, Salesperson at Woodhill Supply Co., was convicted on March 22, 2005. Semlar was sentenced to a 21 month term of imprisonment and ordered to pay the City of Cleveland $180,744.21 in restitution.
(8) James Morabito, owner of Morabito Trucking and Cleveland Central
Enterprises, was charged on October 11, 2006, pleaded guilty, and is scheduled for sentencing on January 25, 2007.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ann C. Rowland and Antoinette Thomas Bacon.

The investigation is continuing.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.