NORWALK, Ohio — The father and son owners of Norwalk-based pavement marking contractor Oglesby Construction were sentenced to prison time and fines Thursday after pleading guilty to defrauding state authorities on the completion of contract work.
Gerald Reichert, 65, and Adam Reichert, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud against the U.S., highway project fraud and wire fraud. Gerald was sentenced to 16 months in prison and a $90,000 fine, and Adam was sentenced to eight months in prison and a $70,000 fine. Both were ordered to pay total restitution of $579,014.
Gerald and Adam participated in a scheme to defraud state and federal governments by lying to state authorities about the completion of paint-striping work they had been hired to do on roads in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The two men under-applied paint and glass beads used in the road work and then told authorities they had completed the contractual requirements, the press release said.
They "misled the states by either manipulating daily excel spreadsheet reports submitted to the states, or by attaching physical manipulation devices to application trucks including applicators and scales," according to the press release.
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