OGDEN -- The second of two men who embezzled a quarter million dollars from Big D Construction has pleaded guilty in a plea bargain.
Big D, founded in Ogden in 1967, is one of the state's largest building contractors.
Bart Andersen, 39, of Hooper, pleaded guilty last week in 2nd District Court to two counts of communications fraud and one count of theft by deception in return for dismissal of three similar counts.
All the charges are second-degree felonies, punishable by a maximum penalty of one to 15 years in prison.
Andersen faces sentencing April 23 at a hearing where attorneys will also argue the exact amount of restitution he owes.
Co-defendant Kent McKenzie, 43, of Syracuse, was sentenced Nov. 6 to a year in jail, helped by the fact he had already paid back the money he took, $136,000, officials said, and was ready to testify against Andersen.
Prosecutors with the Weber County Attorney's Office and Forrest McNabb, Big D senior vice president, did not return phone calls after Andersen's plea.
They have declined to reveal details of the scheme Andersen and McKenzie used for almost two years to pilfer the funds.
Andersen was a senior project manager for Big D, working as both an on-site and corporate overseer of building projects.
McKenzie worked for a paving subcontractor Big D used often.
Both men were charged June 16, 2009, Andersen with two counts of communications fraud and four counts of theft by deception for violations court records listed as dating back to May 16, 2007.
McKenzie was charged with one count of communications fraud and two counts of theft by deception dating back to June 7, 2008.
Andersen was essentially accused in two schemes, the first begun in May 2007.
McKenzie was accused of involvement with Andersen only in the second scam, which began in June 2008.
Officials said the fraud was uncovered by a Big D internal investigation that lasted several weeks. At the end of the probe in March, 2009, Andersen was fired and authorities were contacted. Andersen had been suspended at the start of the internal investigation.
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