Covington, Ky. —A federal grand jury in Covington indicted the former vice president of Heritage Propane in Florence, Ky. for creating a scheme with his wife and stepdaughter to defraud the company of $236,555.

The indictment charged 60-year-old Bruce Kiser of Florence with eight counts of Wire Fraud and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. Kimberly Kiser, 48, and Erica Aspacher, 30, both of Ohio were charged with just the conspiracy count.

According to the indictment, Kimberly Kiser, Aspacher, and an individual only known to the grand jury operated companies in Cincinnati and submitted invoices to Bruce Kiser for work that their companies never performed. Kiser, knowing the invoices were fraudulent, forwarded them to the Heritage Propane’s payment office located in Montana. After receiving the invoices, the payment office issued checks to the three companies.

The indictment alleged that from 2006 until May of 2008, Aspacher, owner of Executive Management Resources and Kimberly Kiser, owner of Reveal combined to submit 48 fraudulent invoices worth more than $170,000. The anonymous individual owned Information Tech and Design and sent 18 fraudulent invoices to Bruce Kiser worth $66,300.07 in just more than a year.

James A. Zerhusen, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Timothy D. Cox, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI jointly made the announcement today after the indictment was returned.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Alamdar Hamdani.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.

The indictment of a person by a grand jury is an accusation only, and that person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Louisville Home Page