CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The owner of a Wyoming railcar refurbishment company has been convicted of wire fraud and for intentionally exposing his employees to asbestos.
The Cowboy State Daily reports John Eldon Rimmasch, 47, faces a maximum penalty of 95 years in prison and $1.2 million in fines, while his company, Wasatch Railroad Contractors, faces $2 million in fines. The company has filed for bankruptcy.
Rimmasch and the company were convicted on April 13 of five counts of wire fraud and one count of knowing endangerment.
The latter charge stems from a contract with the National Park Service to restore a 1923 Central of New Jersey passenger car for use at Steamtown National Historic Site. When the Park Service sought bids for the restoration in 2016, it informed contractors that the car contained asbestos and that a contract would require safety measures to protect workers. An indictment handed down last November accuses Rimmasch and Wasatch of billing the Park Service almost $39,000 for asbestos abatement even though the work was not done, and that Rimmasch did not intend to comply with the safety measures.
The project was never completed and Rimmasch was accused of failing to pay employees who worked on the project.
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