Stow Man Charged in $744,000 Scheme to Defraud His Employer |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio
October 18, 2013
A criminal information was filed charging a Stow man with 10 counts related to a $744,000 scheme in which he ordered equipment at his company but then resold it for personal profit, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Thomas A. Steiger, age 45, faces six counts of wire fraud and four counts of interstate transportation of property obtained by fraud.
Steiger worked as the facility manager of the truck repair and cleaning departments at Voith Industrial Services' plant in Walton Hills. The company had a contract with Ford Motor Company to provide parts and repair services for industrial equipment at Ford’s stamping plant in Walton Hills, according to the information.
From January 2011 through January 2013, Steiger equipment that neither Voith nor Ford needed, including infrared cameras, oscilloscopes, particle counters, earth-ground testers, and Fluke meters. He then resold it to third parties, primarily an individual in San Diego, according to the information.
Steiger caused Voith to pay for the equipment but had it delivered to himself personally. He then shipped the equipment via UPS and had the payments from third-party purchasers wired to his personal bank account, according to the information.
He also had Voith purchase and pay for items that Steiger ordered for his personal use, including a laptop computer, a chainsaw, rock salt, a snow thrower, and other items, according to the information.
Overall, Steiger caused Voith to make purchases totaling $744,109 for equipment the company never received, was sold by Steiger for his personal profit, or was kept for his personal use, according to the information.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any; the defendant’s role in the offense; and the characteristics of the violations. The sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, will be less than the maximum.
This case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney James V. Moroney following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.