An Ohio Department of Transportation vendor from Aurora is among five area vendors and three ODOT officials indicted last week on corruption charges.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason announced that the eight people were indicted for using a wide variety of scams to illegally steer ODOT contracts and business to friends and associates from 2000 to 2007.
Mason said the center of the criminal activity was ODOT's District 12 headquarters in Garfield Heights. The Ohio Inspector General's office and the Ohio Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.
The local man indicted is Philip C. Marek, 41, president of Nozzle New Inc. and owner of Marek Land Co. in Solon. He faces two counts of bribery and three counts of attempted tampering with records.
According to Mason, the primary target of the ODOT corruption case -- Dennis L. Kratochvil, 65, of Chagrin Falls -- was indicted on one count of racketeering, five counts of bribery, one count of theft in office, three counts of obstructing justice and 16 counts of tampering with records.
He was District 12's facilities manager.
District 12 storekeeper Kevin M. Horrigan, 42, of Northfield Center was indicted on two counts of bribery, one count of theft in office, three counts of attempted tampering with records and one count of unlawful interest in a public contract.
District 12 equipment superintendent Terrence M. Kosmata, 56, of Garfield Heights was indicted on one count each of bribery, attempted bribery and theft in office.
The other four vendors were indicted on similar charges.
They are Kent L. Winter, 54, of Willoughby, owner of Winter Equipment, Co.; Robert E. Jones, Jr., 48, of Painesville, owner of Lake Truck Sales & Services Inc., Jones Equipment Co. and principle for JEL Idealease; James Patrick Hartory, II, 38, of Chardon, CEO of Traditional Building Systems, Knight Mechanical Inc. and All-Controls Corp. in Mentor; and Dennis B. Kratochvil, 46, of Chesterland, owner of DeBord Plumbing and Heating Co. in Chardon.
Three former ODOT officials and six vendors previously were charged and sentenced for their roles in the case.