CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A vice president for a Cincinnati firm convicted on federal charges for creating a shell company to get minority contracts was sentenced on Friday.
Jim Bailey was convicted for his part in a scheme at Evans Landscaping to obtain millions of dollars in minority contracts.
Bailey received 36 months of probation, six months of which with an ankle monitor and $20,000 in fines along with 200 hours community service.
He’s the last one to be tried in a case that goes back to 2015, when federal agents raided the company.
When the feds moved in, they confiscated evidence that would eventually be used to convict six employees for obtaining millions of dollars in minority contracts for Ergon Construction.
Ergon is gone, but it’s Dunn and Bradstreet page still exists and lists Korey Jordan as the contact.
The feds say Jordan, an African-American, was a figurehead for the shell company set up by Evans.
In fact, Prosecutors allege the reason for the name Ergon is because it is an anagram for Negro. Ergon is also the Greek word for work.
Prosecutors say Bailey was part of the scheme, helping run Ergon, using Ergon magnets to cover Evans logos on trucks and ordering Ergon uniforms for Evans employees to wear.
His boss, Doug Evans, on Tuesday, got 21 months in prison, 36 months probation, and 50-thousand dollars in fines. He is appealing. The company has to pay $500,000.
And now Cincinnati city council member Tamaya Dennard is introducing an ordinance that would ban companies convicted of trying to obtain contracts they don’t deserve... from ever doing business with Cincinnati.
"It’s an issue of entitlement, it’s an issue of greed, it’s an issue of privilege. And yes, I am going for the jugular. They need to be permanently barred from doing business with the city of Cincinnati," said Tamaya Denard.
This is the last criminal proceeding Local 12 News is currently aware of regarding Evans and its employees, but it’s not the last you’ll hear of the case... as Doug Evans has indicated he is appealing his conviction.
$15,000 of the $20,000 in fines and the 200 hours of community service Bailey is responsible for is to go to nonprofits designed to help minority businesses.
