Pool Contractor Ordered to Pay $33K in Restitution

Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | 0

An Ohio pool contractor was ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for filing false payroll records to reduce workers’ compensation insurance premiums, the BWC’s Special Investigations Department said.

Robert Graszi

Robert L. Graszi, owner of Premier Gunite Unlimited Pools & Spas of Lexington, Ohio, on Sept. 13 pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony counts of tampering with records, the BWC said. The Richland County Court of Common Pleas sentenced him to five years of probation in addition to ordering restitution.

Don Fodor, assistant director of the Special Investigations Department, said the BWC discovered Graszi was not carrying workers’ compensation insurance when one of his employees was injured and filed a claim. He said the BWC tried several times to bring Graszi into compliance, but he did not cooperate. 

The BWC said Graszi tried “several times” to obtain a certificate of coverage from the BWC using fictitious information on his application. “He thought he could sneak in under the radar and obtain a certificate so he could continue to operate his business,” Fodor said.

The BWC said Graszi owes $27,516 in past premiums and $5,833 for the cost of its investigation.