Oklahoma Borough man who stole natural gas ordered to repay $2,000 to Peoples
A Westmoreland County judge has rejected a prosecution request that sought more than $900,000 in restitution from an Oklahoma Borough businessman convicted of stealing natural gas from an open well.
Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger, in a ruling made public on Wednesday, said Jeffrey W. Zinchini, 61, of Oklahoma Borough must repay Peoples Gas Co. just $2,000.
Though his defense lawyers, Zinchini contended that no restitution was required.
Krieger, in a two-page opinion, said he would not speculate on the restitution amount. The judge said neither side presented him with any concrete evidence or calculations that determined the actual value of the stolen gas. As a result, the judge set the repayment amount at the lowest value in a dollar range set by jurors following a trial in late 2018.
At that trial, Zinchini was convicted of a felony theft count and one charge of reckless endangerment. Jurors acquitted Zinchini of one count of tampering with property. Prosecutors previously withdrew one count of deceptive business practices.
Prosecutors contended Zinchini tapped in to a 3-inch service line that previously fed gas to the Vandergrift Golf Course on Community Park Drive.
Zinchini owned Winfall Energy, a drilling company based in Allegheny Township. He was first charged in 2015 with stealing $207,000 of natural gas over the previous four-year period.
According to a criminal complaint, a “T” connection sent gas to an above-ground manifold operated by Winfall.
In rendering its verdict, the jury determined the amount of the theft was between $2,000 and $100,000.
During a sentencing hearing last March, Assistant District Attorney Pete Flanigan argued the actual amount of the theft approached $1 million.
Krieger last March indicated he would sentence Zinchini to serve five years on probation and a year of house arrest. Imposition of the sentence was deferred until the restitution issue was resolved.
A date to resume the sentencing hearing has not been set.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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