Former Mascoutah water treatment plant manager sentenced for taking illegal gratuities
A former Mascoutah water treatment plant manager has been sentenced in federal court for accepting illegal gratuities for work he did as part of his job.
Richard Lowell Jones, who lived in Troy, held his managerial job at the water treatment plant from 2016 until early 2020, according to court documents.
During that time, federal prosecutors said Jones “ordered chemicals and services on behalf of the city and received illegal gratuities from the vendor in the form of 10 percent of the total purchase as a personal commission.”
Jones ordered about $361,917 in chemicals and services from 2016 to 2020, according to the indictment.
Jones, who pleaded guilty in February, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to three years probation with the first six months on home confinement.
As part of his sentence, Jones was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay restitution to the city of Mascoutah in the amount of more than $27,000.
Public officials are prohibited from using their positions to further their own financial interests.
Jones had previously been in charge of the water and sewer plant since 1990 as an employee of a company that subcontracted with the city of Mascoutah, according the indictment.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Mascoutah Police Department.
Norman Smith, assistant U. S. Attorney, prosecuted the case and U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn handed down the sentence.
