MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Charleston-based construction company has been forced to dissolve following its owner’s plea agreement in federal court on charges he defrauded the US Postal Service on construction work out several Eastern West Virginia counties.
Frame, Inc., operated by James Frame, Sr., 66, formerly of Charleston, West Virginia, was contracted by EMCOR Facilities Services, Inc. to manage subcontractors and the negotiation of costs for repairs and construction work at U.S. Postal Service (USPS) locations within a 150-mile radius of Charleston, West Virginia.
US Attorney for the Northern District, William Ihlenfeld says Frame, Inc. committed wire fraud when it submitted bills for supposed services with rates above what was being charged by the subcontractors, and many times certifying that Frame, Inc. conducted the work, when in fact, a subcontractor had been used. Much of the work was done on USPS locations in Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Hampshire, and Mineral Counties.
The US Attorney’s Office announced this week that Frame has agreed to dissolve the corporation and has paid restitution of $187, 286 for defrauding the federal government.
