Man Convicted Of Stealing Guardrail, EBT Fraud

November 17, 2015

An Escambia County man has been convicted for stealing tons of steel guardrail from his McDavid employer, fraudulently installing the guardrail in two states and fraudulently using state EBT funds for years.

Barry Paul Fehr, 53, pleaded no contest Monday to multiple felony charges including grand theft, fraud – unauthorized user of public assistance and fraud – swindle obtaining property. Fehr was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to five years probation and 45 days in the county jail with an eligibility for work release.  He was also ordered to pay restitution to both his former employer and the State of Florida, with a full amount still to be determined.

Fehr  billed a contractor using Highway Specialties letterhead after representing himself as owner of the company and using letterhead to prepare quotes and establish contracts so that he would be paid personally for the installation of guardrail components on federal, state and local roadways.

He billed the contractor $6,300 for guardrail installed on I-10 and $500 for a guardrail repair on I-110 at Brent Lane, according to an arrest report. Investigators said he took inventory from Highway Specialties stock and transported it to the job site and performed the installation himself.

In a separate incident, Fehr allegedly negotiated a contract with Biles Construction for guardrail that was installed in Semmes, AL, and billed the company on Highway Specialties letterhead with his name at the top of the invoice. The guardrail used had been purchased by Highway Specialties for a project in Okaloosa County, but was reportedly taken from their inventory by Fehr.

The owner of Biles Construction told investigators that he was asked to pay for the guardrail in cash. When the company refused, Fehr reportedly asked that the $8,550 check be made out to him personally instead of Highway Specialties because he was going through a “nasty divorce”, the arrest report states.

Fehr was also charged with unrelated counts of grand theft and fraud after an investigation found that he  sold 30,145 pounds of steel highway guardrail components in 19 transactions to Wise Recycling without the permission of Highway Specialties for a total of $3,428.

The investigation also found Fehr in possession of additional guardrail components owned by Highway Specialties and valued at $2,135, the report states.

Several times, Fehr represented himself in a capacity to complete jobs and accept payment without proper invoicing and receipts, investigators said. Within the past two years, deputies said Fehr and his crew installed 150 feet of guardrail on I-10 and was paid $5,200 outside the scope of Highway Specialties.

Fehr was also convicted of paying cash at one-half the face value for  State of Florida EBT cards over the past five years. He then used the card as his own, fraudulently obtaining thousands of dollars worth of benefits.

Comments

3 Responses to “Man Convicted Of Stealing Guardrail, EBT Fraud”

  1. Fran Donahue on November 17th, 2015 7:54 am

    A cowardly thief, who became greedy and envious when given the opportunity of a lifetime. The owner of Highway Specialties provided him with housing, a vehicle for personal/business use and most importantly a second chance in life. Only to be betrayed by a common thief who also posed as a Deacon in his church. Barry lacks the morale fiber and decency expected of a civilized person. A charlatan, who’s true identity has been revealed.

  2. barbara agerton on November 17th, 2015 6:49 am

    I have to admit, he is a smart thief,while I was reading this article, in the back of my mind I was imagining how many lies he had to tell to pull this off, its like WOW!

  3. Mike on November 17th, 2015 5:34 am

    See, a good lawyer with connections downtown will getcha out of a jam! Need to get away with something ya gotta spend some cash, folks! :D

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News