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Adairs’ forfeited assets allotted
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
What Ric Barringer of Southwind Trucking Inc. wants most of all is to pay vendors who were slighted when his former business partner Scott Adair embezzled nearly $1 million from the company.
Barringer and Southwind recently were awarded about $150,000 of the Adairs’ forfeited assets. Though Barringer said he’s grateful for that amount, it’s only about a quarter of what’s still owed to creditors.
“With these creditors, I’m making payments out of my own salary,” he said. “I am taking care of it.”
Scott and Linda Adair of Canfield were convicted in June of embezzling the money over the course of four years from Southwind Trucking Inc. in Austintown.
In August, Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court gave Scott Adair, 51, 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.
Adair is serving his three-year sentences 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. He also was ordered to pay $706,619 in restitution, according to court records, but that amount is subject to change pending the outcome of a companion civil case.
Kathy Caldwell, a Southwind employee, said the couple has made no effort so far to comply with the restitution order.
“Unfortunately, they haven’t shown any sign of trying to reconcile with vendors,” she said. “I guess we thought that once this got to the point where they admitted guilt, they would do everything they could to make it right.”
Caldwell said the company is grateful for the money Southwind received, but it’s not enough to undo the harm Adair caused to Southwind, its employees and vendors that went unpaid.
“The vendors weren’t paid back. They’re not made whole,” she said. “Unless all of those vendors are paid back, we’re not happy.”
Adair’s wife, Linda, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of complicity to commit theft — a fourth-degree felony — and was sentenced to four years’ probation and 200 hours of community service at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley.
Southwind received $126,000 in cash distributions and $21,350 in property assets.
The Austintown Police Department received $3,115 worth of firearms and a safe and $10,879 in cash distributions, according to court documents.
The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office waived its portion of the distribution.
Austintown Detective Sgt. Kathy Dina said she’s pleased with what the police department recouped for its services.
“If we got $10,000, there’s a reason for it,” she said. “They took other cases away from me to work this case. ... I had several weeks were I was dedicated to just this case.”
Dina said she hoped Southwind would receive more compensation.
“I wish they could have recouped everything,” she said. “It’s a shame we couldn’t get more for them.”