A Sandusky man was charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a billing scheme to defraud his employer, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Anthony K. Jones, 59, worked at Kyklos Bearing International LLC (KBI), where he had authority to make purchases for KBI using an acquisition credit card and the company’s purchase order process. Scott C. Wagner was the owner of Construction Equipment and Supply (CES), which sold and rented industrial machinery, according to the criminal information.

Beginning in 2001 and continuing through 2013, Wagner submitted invoices to Jones for goods that were never delivered and purchases of goods far in excess of what was actually delivered. Jones in turn arranged for KBI to pay the invoices, according to the information.

Wagner made large sums of money through the false billing scheme and compensated Jones with cash kickbacks, according to the information

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in this case is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sandusky, Ohio, with the assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Gene Crawford.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.