FEDERAL PRISON SENTENCE FOR FORMER POSTAL SERVICE WORKER IN TRUCK SOAP FRAUD SCHEME

FEDERAL PRISON SENTENCE FOR FORMER POSTAL SERVICE WORKER IN TRUCK SOAP FRAUD SCHEME

By Jake Griffin + 06/27/12

A Wood Dale man received a nine-month prison sentence for essentially pouring tax dollars down the drain.

Nicholas Peregonow, 67, was charged two years ago with defrauding the U.S. Postal Service by dumping truck-washing soap he had sold the agency down sewer drains. He was ordered to begin serving the sentence July 31. He will also serve an additional five months of home confinement upon his release from prison during his two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay the federal government $102,510, representing the value of the soap that was dumped.

By shorting the orders to the post office, the agency was forced to buy more soap, which increased commissions for Peregonow, authorities said.

Federal environmental protection agents said the illegal dumping also posed a risk to wildlife and could have damaged water treatment equipment.