A Florida man has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly creating fraudulent invoices to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars from a building materials company based in Chatham County, Georgia.
John Laakso, also known as “John Larson” and “John Trebesch,” 56, faces four counts of wire fraud, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial fines, restitution, and supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
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According to the indictment, Laakso worked as a contractor and later as an engineering manager at GAF Materials Corporation, a building materials company. His responsibilities included procuring equipment and services for the company’s Savannah facility.
From 2021 to 2023, Laakso allegedly used fictitious identities and created pass-through companies to defraud his employer. The indictment claims he awarded contracts to these fake companies, which then subcontracted with legitimate vendors to provide the goods or services at lower costs. Laakso reportedly pocketed the difference between the inflated invoice amounts and the actual costs.
The scheme resulted in GAF paying more than $1.3 million in fraudulent invoices, with Laakso allegedly keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars for personal use.
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“This indictment alleges a scheme in which an employee betrayed the trust of an employer for self-enrichment at the employer’s expense,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend the work of our law enforcement partners in unraveling this fraudulent operation.”
A spokesperson for GAF said, “As soon as we were made aware of this, we conducted an investigation and reported it to the relevant authorities. GAF upholds the highest standards of ethical behavior and are grateful for the efforts of law enforcement in pursuing accountability for this matter.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and Bradford C. Patrick for the Southern District of Georgia. Criminal indictments are formal charges, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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