Doug A. Wold (Idaho Department of Correction file)
BOISE – Doug Wold, former human resources manager for Fry Foods in Ontario, used money he diverted from the company to buy a high-priced speed boat, according to a federal indictment filed against the Meridian man. He was arrested on the new charges by Internal Revenue Service agents on Sept. 11.
Wold was charged in U.S. District Court in Boise on Sept. 10 on 11 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering.
The charges echo those Wold, 48, faces in Malheur County Circuit Court and allegations in a civil complaint Fry Foods has filed against Wold to recover more than $100,000.
Dave Goldthorpe, Malheur County District Attorney, said he will proceed with the Oregon case amid the federal prosecution.
The federal indictment accused Wold of using stolen funds from Fry Foods to buy a 2019 Tige R23 Speedboat and 2019 Boatmade Boat Trailer. The starting price for the speedboat is $84,223, according to Tige’s website.
Wold transferred about $69,116 from one of his business accounts around July 29 to buy the boat and trailer, the indictment said.
He diverted fraudulent payroll checks to at least six personal or business bank accounts in Meridian, according to the indictment, over a period from May to August.
He was arrested by the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 19 after picking up the latest run of paychecks for Fry Foods from an Ontario accounting firm. He was later released on $10,000 bail.
He was hired by Fry Foods in June 2019. Company officials have declined to comment or explain what they knew of Wold’s background. At the time of his hiring, he was on parole for Idaho felonies and has a record of convictions dating back to 1991, according to court records.
For the federal charges, penalties for wire fraud and mail fraud each include up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The money laundering charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Wold is being held at the Ada County Jail and pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday, Sept. 14. His trial on the federal charges was scheduled for Nov. 2.
Wold was charged Aug. 27 with 19 counts of aggravated theft, identity theft and forgery in Malheur County Circuit Court.
Between May 20 to June 25, the federal indictment said Wold deposited 11 fraudulent payroll checks ranging from about $1,000 to $1,600 into his personal and business bank accounts.
He arranged for Fry Foods to pay his company, Hala Lallo Health, for Covid testing of Fry Foods employees “with the representation that Hala Lallo Health was the provider of the tests when, in fact, a different medical company provided the testing,” the indictment said.
He issued a “false and fraudulent Covid-19 testing invoice” for $39,995 to Fry Foods at its headquarters in Tiffin, Ohio, the court filing said. The indictment also said that the check was made payable to Hala Lallo Health, and Wold deposited the money for his personal use and didn’t pay the actual provider of the Covid tests.
News tip? Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian by email at [email protected] or call 503-929-3053.
PRIOR REPORTING:
Phony payroll: details surface in Fry Foods paycheck fraud case, police investigation
Fry Foods HR exec hired after prison stint, string of convictions. Now, company wants its money back
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