State of Wisconsin wins civil suit against Rassbach

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MADISON — A Glenwood City fuel dealer, who is serving time for theft, has been ordered to pay $109,396.55 in a civil judgment related to fraudulent billing of his customers.

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) obtained the judgment against John Rassbach while he was doing business as Rassbach Oil Company.

Rassbach is serving a four-year prison sentence stemming from his 2010 conviction of 14 counts of theft or attempted theft for fraudulent overbilling of his customers.

In the civil decision, the state charged Rassbach defrauded his customers in a variety of ways including “shorting” diesel or gasoline customers by pumping a portion of the fuel back into his delivery truck; falsifying propane delivery invoices to overstate the amount delivered; and charging multiple customers for the same fuel delivery.

The judgment entered on June 4, 2012, awards the state the amount Rassbach overcharged his customers between February and September 2008. Any money collected from Rassbach will be returned to customers who purchased fuel during this period.

The state has a list of all consumers entitled to restitution, and will contact them in the event there are funds recovered under the judgment. Consumers with questions can call the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) at (800) 422-7128.

Tags: crime and courts, news, wisconsin