Waynesburg man pleads guilty to defrauding his employer
A Waynesburg man faces up to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to charges of mail fraud and tax evasion.
Kevin C. Conklin, 56, pleaded guilty to two counts before U.S. District Court Judge David Cercone, according to U.S. Attorney General Scott Brady.
Conklin was employed by Mountain Energy Company Ltd., an energy company headquartered in Aleppo that operated oil and natural gas wells in Western Pennsylvania. Conklin oversaw the day-to day operations of Mountain Energy and managed the company’s financial matters.
According to court documents, from January 2008 through December 2012, Conklin fraudulently obtained thousands of dollars of the company’s funds.
Conklin used checks drawn on Mountain Energy’s business bank account to pay for personal expenses, including payments for his home, personal credit card bills, college tuition for his daughter, an engagement ring for his son and automobile payments for a personal vehicle.
Conklin falsely recorded in the financial database of Mountain Energy the payee information and purpose of the Mountain Energy’s checks Conklin used for his personal expenses. As part of the scheme, Conklin concealed his actions from Mountain Energy’s tax preparer and the Internal Revenue Service, investigators said.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4, and Conklin faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or both.