St. Louis, MO - Tony Pedretti was sentenced to 20 months in prison to his role in a kickback scheme that ran for three years while he supervised the HVAC shop and the John Cochran Veterans Administration Medical Center in St. Louis from 2012 to 2015.
According to court documents, Pedretti conspired with Scott Geary, David Graham and others to collect kickbacks for work done at the HVAC shop. Pedretti was authorized to pay up to $2500 to outside contractors without prior approval and most of the jobs involved in the scheme were near that limit. It was a part of the parties’ agreement that, for each job, Pedretti would receive a cash kickback. In all, Pedretti admitted that more than $270,000 in work was let by him in furtherance of the kickback scheme.
Pedretti, 43, of Whiting, Indiana, pled guilty in May 2017
Scott Geary and David Graham have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced for their roles in the scheme.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs - Office of the Inspector General and the FDIC - Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
