EPA Official Convicted in Fraud

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Ky.: EPA Official Convicted in Fraud

Forbes - NY

Associated Press 09.07.07, 4:56 PM ET

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/07/ap4094797.html

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - An Environmental Protection Agency official

faces sentencing in December after being found guilty of taking part

in a scheme to defraud Fruit of the Loom.

A federal jury convicted (nyse: HRS - news -

people ), 45, of Euless, Texas, of conspiracy to commit mail fraud,

U.S. Attorney L. Huber said Friday in a statement.

, currently an executive with the EPA in Dallas, was accused

of conspiring with former Fruit of the Loom executive Kalen Watkins

and two outside contractors to defraud Fruit of the Loom, which is

owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (nyse: BRKA - news - people )

started Risk Management Group, an environmental consulting

firm, in 1998, at the behest of Watkins, who was Fruit of the Loom's

environmental director at the time, prosecutors said.

Watkins promised business if made Watkins a silent

partner in Risk Management Group, prosecutors said.

was awarded contracts to provide environmental services to

Fruit of the Loom, then inflated the invoices for payment,

prosecutors said. Watkins approved the invoices and was paid

about $1 million from the company in 1999, prosecutors said.

The two outside contractors, Pollock and Tyrone Tackett,

previously pleaded guilty in the case and testified that

wrote them checks for $240,000 as part of an effort to launder the

money. Pollock and Tackett also testified that they cashed the

checks, kept a small portion of the proceeds, and returned the

remainder to and Watkins.

is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge B.

on December 4, in Bowling Green.