Paying back a scrap debt

Dec 07, 2007 | 10:07 AM |

A Syracuse, N.Y., foundry worker will have one less debt to pay 18 years from now. Connie Gardner, a 17-year employee of Wolff & Dungey Inc., faced jail time for allegedly swiping more than $71,000 in metal from his Syracuse employer, then selling it as scrap.

But he won't be making license plates at a state prison--he'll keep his job at the foundry, although he must reimburse the company for its losses. The foundry owner and an Onondaga County Court judge have shown mercy to Gardner, 44, who was charged with grand larceny for stealing scrap aluminum and ingot from the company and selling them to Roth Steel Corp., also in Syracuse, which was unaware the metal was stolen and was not charged with any wrongdoing. Gardner was sentenced to five years probation and will continue working at the foundry, but will be required to pay $75 a week to the company until the $71,698 debt is repaid. That will take 956 weeks, or 18 years and 4....