Report: Probe of former Ohio highway worker widens

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio’s government watchdog says a man at the center of a corruption probe inside the state highway department orchestrated a kickback scheme bigger than previously documented.

Inspector General Thomas Charles released a report today laying out new allegations against Dennis Kratochvil, a former facilities manager at the Ohio Department of Transportation in northeast Ohio.

The report says newly obtained records show that Kratochvil improperly steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in state business to companies owned by a Solon businessman.

Kratochvil was one of seven ODOT employees who resigned or were fired last year after a report by the inspector general outlining nearly $11 million in questionable or improper payments to contractors.