Posted on: Friday, July 20, 2001

State charges former worker with theft, money laundering

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A former state employee has been charged with theft in connection with an alleged scheme in which he collected money from contractors and kept it for personal use.

Fidel Eviota II, 52, was charged yesterday with one count of first-degree theft, money laundering and unlawful ownership or operation of a business, all Class B felonies. Eviota is a former engineer with the inspection branch of the Department of Accounting and General Services.

In a complaint filed against him yesterday in Circuit Court, Eviota is accused of using a shell company and other people to launder money he collected from construction contractors. The laundered money made its way back to Eviota, who is accused of stealing or laundering $30,000 from August 1995 to June 1999, the court document said.

The attorney general's office began investigating Eviota's activities in July 1999. Deputy Attorney General Christopher Young yesterday declined to comment.

Scott Collins, Eviota's attorney, also declined to discuss specifics of the case. He said his client will plead guilty under a plea agreement with the state when he appears before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins on Aug. 16.

The penalty for each offense is a maximum 10 years in prison, but because there are multiple offenses, Eviota could face up to 20 years on each count, Collins said.

"(Eviota) made some serious errors in judgment," Collins said. "He's at this point taking responsibility for some big errors in judgment."