Indiana Drilling Company COO Sentenced To 8 Years In Prison For Embezzling $9M

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Indiana, Pa., was sentenced in federal court on Jan. 23, 2015, to 96 months imprisonment, three years supervised release and $10,206,425 in restitution on his conviction of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, forged checks and tax fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry imposed the sentence on Larry Dean Winckler, 53, of Indiana, Pa.

According to information presented to the court, the court was advised that between 2007 and 2012, Winckler, the Chief Operating Officer at Falcon Drilling Company in Indiana, Pa., conspired to embezzle nearly $9,020,687 from his employer by creating forged checks and fake company invoices. Winckler conspired to defraud Falcon through embezzlement of company funds by using forged checks, fake invoices to fictitious or real vendors, and false statements to auditors. In imposing sentence, Judge McVerry noted the seriousness of the crime, and enormity of the embezzlement over several years.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the United States Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Winckler.