Investigations

On July 5, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming sentenced Wasatch Railroad Contractors (WRC) and its owner John Rimmasch for wire fraud and violations of the Clean Air Act. WRC was sentenced to pay a $2,400 special assessment, and Rimmasch was sentenced to 30 months of incarceration, 36 months of supervised release, $7,428.64 in restitution, a $600 special assessment, and 100 hours of community service.

 

In August 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) awarded WRC a contract for the restoration of a historic passenger railcar. The contract required proper abatement of asbestos-containing material and presumed asbestos-containing material within the railcar. WRC did not follow safety protocols for the asbestos abatement and submitted false claims to NPS for approximately $364,000.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with Department of Interior-OIG and the Environmental Protection Agency-Criminal Investigation Division.