CINCINNATI — A judge will likely sentence Doug Evans and five current and former Evans Landscaping employees in April for their roles in a minority business contracting scheme.
Just days after a jury convicted Evans and his vice president of operations, Jim Bailey, of six charges related to wire fraud, the U.S. Probation Office issued a March 29 deadline for pre-sentence reports in the cases.
These reports will help U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett decide how much prison time to order for Evans and Bailey, who likely face two to five years in prison, and how large of a fine to impose against Evans Landscaping, which may pay up to $1.25 million.
The four former Evans employees who pleaded guilty in the scheme and testified for prosecutors at trial will also likely be sentenced in April.
On Tuesday a jury convicted Evans of creating a front company, Ergon Site Construction, to win minority and small business demolition jobs from the city of Cincinnati and the state worth millions.
“That is part of the goal of this, and any prosecution -- a message of general deterrence,” Glassman told WCPO on Tuesday. “Folks who are in a position to cut a corner to gain an unfair advantage should think twice before going down the path of committing fraud."
At trial jurors heard from four former Evans employees who took plea deals in the case and will likely avoid prison time.
Korey Jordan, who was the figurehead of Ergon Site Construction, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Former general manager Mike Moeller, who bid minority state demolition jobs worth $10 million using Evans and Ergon, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Former CFO Maurice Patterson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and former CFO John Dietrich pleaded guilty to misprision, or concealment, of a felony, for their roles in the scheme.
Jurors took only four hours to find Evans, Bailey and the company guilty of all charges at the end of the month-long trial, which had involved 40 witnesses and hundreds of documents.
“We’re disappointed … but this is not the end of the story,” Evans attorney Ben Dusing said after the verdict.
Dusing said he will file motions for judgment of acquittal and for a new trial in the coming weeks.
Both Evans and Bailey remain free on bond while they await sentencing
