83-year-old Akron man charged with bribery

AKRON, Ohio - An 83-year-old man from Akron has been charged with bribery for his involvement in improperly paying a former lawyer with Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

Stanley Lojek, the former president of Harvard Refuse, faces one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in federal funded programs.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Lojek worked with William B. Schatz, the former General Counsel of the NEORSD, to unjustly pay Schatz $600,000. The payments allegedly came from 2000 until April 2007 in an effort to bribe Schatz for legal contracts.

Prosecutors said Schatz accomplished this by invoicing Harvard Refuse for legal services that were not performed. The invoices were paid knowing that the money would go to Schatz, the DOJ said.

Schatz retired from the NEORSD in August 2007.

"Today's filing demonstrate our commitment to prosecuting all those involved in corruption and selfdealing in public contracts, whether they are a public official or a private businessman," U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach said in a news release.