A manager at Fry Foods of Ontario, Ore., is facing 13 charges for fraud and money laundering including through a COVID-19 testing scheme for the company’s employees.
Douglas Wold, 48, of Meridian, Fry Foods human resources manager, has been charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering.
He was indicted on Sept. 10 by a federal grand jury in Boise, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis.
The indictment alleges that beginning in at least May and continuing through August, Wold caused fraudulent payroll checks to be issued. He then deposited the fraudulent payroll checks into bank accounts under his control.
According to the indictment, Wold arranged for COVID-19 testing for Fry Foods’ employees at the company’s Weiser, Idaho, facilities in May. He issued a fraudulent invoice to Fry Foods in the name of his business, Hala Lallo Health, for $39,995 when, in fact, the testing was provided by another entity and at a materially lower cost.
When Fry Foods paid Hala Lallo Health for the testing, Wold deposited the funds into a bank account he controlled, according to the indictment.
With respect to the money laundering count, the indictment alleges Wold transferred $69,116.48 in proceeds from his frauds for the purchase of a speedboat and trailer.
Fry Foods produces battered and breaded appetizers at a plant in Ontario, Ore., and another in Weiser, Idaho, employing 600 people.
Wold spoke with Capital Press in May regarding temporary closure of the plants due to positive cases of COVID-19 in employees, as well as testing of employees at both plants.
Each count of wire fraud and mail fraud carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Money laundering carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
Wold was arraigned on Sept. 14, where a trial was scheduled for Nov. 2 before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Boise.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, criminal investigation division.