Waynesburg man sentenced to prison on fraud, tax evasion charges
A Waynesburg man, who oversaw the daily operations of Mountain Energy Co., was sentenced Tuesday to prison and to pay restitution after being convicted of mail fraud and tax evasion charges.
Kevin S. Conklin, 56, was ordered by Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone to serve one year and one day in prison, pay $672,387.62 in restitution and have three years of supervised release, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady.
From January 2008 through December 2012, Conklin took part in a scheme to defraud Aleppo-based Mountain Energy Co. and illegally obtained thousands of dollars from the business, which operates oil and natural gas wells in Western Pennsylvania, the release said.
Conklin used checks drawn from the business’ bank account to pay for personal expenses including his home payment, personal credit card bills, college tuition for his daughter, an engagement ring for his son and automobile payments for a personal vehicle, the release said.
Conklin also falsely recorded the payments in the business’ financial database. He also concealed the crimes from the business’ tax preparer and the IRS, the release said.