 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Office of Inspector General |
|
| Title: | Highway Construction Company Foreman Convicted |
| Date: | December 04, 2001 |
| Type: | Investigation |
| Summary: | Employees of Hardrives Paving & Construction, Inc., of Cleveland, OH, a Federal highway contractor, pleaded guilty and were charged in separate contract fraud cases. Christ Minerd, foreman of Hardrives, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, to submitting fraudulent invoices to Mahoning County, OH, for asphalt that was never produced or used.
In the second case, Renee Smith, owner of Tone Crack Seal & Supply, Youngstown, OH, was charged by a Federal grand jury for fraudulently obtaining more than $515,000 on four highway paving contracts set aside for minority businesses. Tone Crack served as the minority front company in the conspiracy and Hardrives performed the work. Hardrives owner James R. Sabatine was charged in August with bribing public officials to maintain favored status in winning paving contracts and for submitting fake invoices for asphalt that was never applied. OIG investigated the case with the FBI and the Department of Labor OIG. |