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The Wyoming United States Attorney’s Office issued a July 11th news release stating that John Eldon Rimmasch (“Rimmasch”) and Wasatch Railroad Contractors (“Wasatch”) were sentenced after being found guilty of allegedly knowingly exposing employees to asbestos and placing them in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.

The company and individual were found guilty of five counts of alleged wire fraud.

Wasatch is described as a company performing repair and restoration on freight cars. Their services are also stated to have included restoring historic railroad equipment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office states Wasatch entered into a contract to restore a National Park Service historic railcar. The company is alleged to have failed to complete the restoration and knowingly placing 30 of the company’s employees in imminent danger of death or seriously bodily injury by exposing them to asbestos without proper safety measures. The Chief Executive Officer is stated to have directed Wasatch to invoice the National Park Service and certify that it performed the asbestos abatement pursuant to the contract.

Rimmasch was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 30 months and ordered to pay restitution of $7,418. Wasatch, which is stated to currently be “defunct” was ordered to pay a special assessment of $2,400.

A copy of the news release can be downloaded here.