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Couple sentenced for theft scheme
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Scott Adair
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Linda Adair
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
Though Scott Adair was led from the courtroom in handcuffs Friday, victims of his embezzlement scheme will continue to pay for the crimes.
Adair, 51, of Canfield, was sentenced to four years in a state prison.
Judge Lou A. D’Apolito gave him three-year sentences on each of four third-degree felony counts — aggravated grand theft, tampering with records and two counts of money laundering — as well as one-year sentences on each of two fourth-degree felony counts — complicity to theft and telecommunications fraud.
The three-year sentences will be served concurrently, or at the same time, followed by the one-year sentences, also served concurrently. After his release, Adair will be subjected to an optional three-year parole term.
Adair’s wife, Linda, 54, was sentenced to four years’ probation and 200 hours of community service at the local rescue mission.
“You’ll serve at the rescue mission so that you get a feeling of what everyone else in this country goes through,” Judge D’Apolito said.
The pair were convicted in June of embezzling the money over the course of four years from Scott Adair’s former business, Southwind Trucking Inc. in Austintown, of which he was a partner.
Before he was taken from the courtroom, Scott Adair addressed Judge D’Apolito.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret my actions,” he said. “I’ve worked hard over the last three years to rectify my reputation.”
Judge D’Apolito described the couple’s behavior as nothing more than greed.
“Some people steal because they’re hungry or dependent on an illegal substance,” he said. “Some people steal just because of greed. You are an example of that.”
Victims of the crimes said they are satisfied with the punishment but don’t believe Adair or his wife are truly sorry.
“We have pictures of a third party who was paid to rebid on the Adair’s furniture at the [July 28] auction,” said Southwind employee Kathy Caldwell. “They unloaded the furniture at their new home. It’s evidence of their lack of remorse.”
Caldwell said the bidders loaded a large Penske moving truck at the end of the auction, and the same truck was seen at Linda Adair’s mother’s home — 5110 Tippecanoe Road — where the family now lives.
“I thought the judge was very fair,” said Christina Barringer, daughter of Southwind owner Ric Barringer. “I’m happy they have to answer to the heinous crimes they committed.”
Ric Barringer said that when Scott Adair left the company in 2007, the damage was done. Southwind shut down its trucking business in 2009, putting 50 employees and many local vendors out of work.
Barringer said creditors then came to him, not Adair, to collect unpaid debts.
“Over the next 41/2 years, I’ll pay back a quarter-million dollars to secured creditors on top of what we’ve already lost,” he said. “It’s been tight.”
Ken Cardinal, Mahoning County assistant prosecutor, said the victims — Southwind employees, unpaid vendors and their families — aren’t likely to see proper restitution to help with that debt.
Cardinal said that once the four liens, totaling $268,000, are paid on the Adairs’ former home on Revere Run, he’ll have about $50,000 in seized contents, cash and investments to divide among the victims, Austintown Police Department and the Mahoning County prosecutor’s office.
He said he’s not yet sure how the cash will be distributed, but it’s his first priority to get Southwind as much of that share as possible.
“It’s incumbent upon us to see to it that Southwind gets something, even though it will be very little,” he said.