New Jersey Man Sentenced For Submitting False Documents To City Of Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA - Ronen Bakshi, 54, of Voorhees, New Jersey, was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for falsifying records to obstruct a matter within the jurisdiction of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and wire fraud.  Bakshi submitted false documents to the City of Philadelphia’s Air Management Services office in connection with a project for removal of asbestos-containing material from a former church located at 1133 Spring Garden Street in Philadelphia, and billed the non-profit owner of the property for work he did not perform. He pleaded guilty on March 18, 2015 to both counts of the indictment.  

United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond ordered that the defendant begin serving his sentence immediately.  In addition to the prison term, Judge Diamond imposed a $30,000 fine, a $200 special assessment, and a year of supervised release to follow imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from the City of Philadelphia’s Air Management Services office.  The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Martin Harrell and Patricia C. Miller of EPA.