Jury convicts businessman accused in bribery scheme on Kentucky construction project
A South Carolina businessman has been convicted in a kickback scheme to get a $14.9 million contract on a construction project in Kentucky.
A jury in federal court in Covington convicted 63-year-old Antoine “Tony” Berenyi Tuesday on one charge of conspiracy, 14 charges of wire fraud and 10 charges involving money laundering, according to U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV.
The indictment in the case charged that Berenyi paid more than $450,000 in kickbacks to Jaymin G. Vinson, an engineer at the Nucor Steel Gallatin LLC plant in Northern Kentucky. The kickbacks were paid in order to get a job providing construction management services on an expansion of the mill, according to the indictment.
The effect of the scheme was “unlawfully enriching Berenyi and Vinson without regard for the interests of Nucor, without disclosing the arrangement to Nucor, and causing Nucor to incur expense not legitimately part of business or a contract’s value,” the indictment said.
Berenyi founded Berenyi, Inc. in 1989. The Charleston, South Carolina company provides engineering, architecture and construction services, according to its site.
Vinson pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge last year. He has not been sentenced.
At the time Berenyi was indicted, his lawyer said that federal authorities had it wrong — that Vinson had shaken down Berenyi for payments and Berenyi told the steel company about it and cooperated in the investigation.
However, Vinson said in his plea agreement that during a meeting at a casino, Berenyi proposed paying him a “finder’s fee” to steer business to his company.
Berenyi is scheduled to be sentenced in December. Several of the charges against him are punishable by up to 20 years each in prison, though advisory guidelines likely won’t call for the maximum sentence.
