HANFORD – 63-year old Visalia resident Michael Harold Kreger, owner of Michael Kreger Contracting, had already been convicted on three felony counts of insurance fraud. Now, it was time for his sentencing for the $5.4 million theft.
It once again provided a glimpse into the underground economy that benefits itself through the cheating of employees and insurers.
Detectives began an investigation into Kreger’s activities. Part of the investigation involved matching his payroll records against what he provided to the Employment Development Department. The result showed that he under reported his payroll for over four years, in order to get artificially low premiums for worker’s compensation. In short, he was gaming the system for his own benefit.
“This case is a clear example of Kings County’s prosecution team standing up for every business owner and employee who is affected by fraudulent business practices that manipulate the system and seek financial gain at the expense of inured employees and upstanding business owner. I am proud of the contribution and work done by all the investigation teams, especially Deputy District Attorney Michael Casaus, Senior Investigator Nicole Lucero, and Legal Secretary Lynn Rikard on behalf of our office,” said Kings County District Attorney Keith Fagundes.
Kreger will serve 9 months in jail. He will then face 5 years of probation as well as 1500 hours of community service. Finally, he has been ordered to repay more than five million dollars.
