Opinion ID: 1899017
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The evidence elicited at trial established that Parmar was a civil engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) from September 10, 1968 to May 7, 1993. In September of 1990, Parmar was a district plans engineer for the PennDOT office in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. He was responsible for the design of highway projects and for reviewing contract documents for large construction enterprises on state highways within nine counties. Additionally, Parmar was one of several engineers who reviewed highway occupancy permits (HOPs) for proposed construction sites along state highways. In 1990, the PennDOT procedure for approval of a HOP was for a company to submit an application for a HOP and plans for the proposed construction site. A PennDOT supervisor would attach a routing slip to the application packet and then circulate the application packet to a plans engineer and a traffic engineer for review. As a plans engineer, Parmar's primary responsibility, unless a supervisor directed him on the routing slip to perform special reviews, was to consider whether the plan provided for appropriate water drainage from the proposed construction site. If, after reviewing the plans, Parmar determined that any surface water from the proposed development was improperly diverted into PennDOT's drainage system, the developer would be required to prepare or revise a drainage control plan. If Parmar found that the drainage of water off the site was appropriate, then no drainage control plan would be required, and Parmar could approve the plans. Following Parmar's assessment of the submitted plans, he would send the application to the traffic engineer, who would review the plans. He would then either return them to the construction company for redrafting, or approve them and the PennDOT supervisor would issue the HOP. On September 5, 1990, Parmar's supervisor directed him to evaluate a HOP that Sheetz, Inc. (Sheetz) had submitted to PennDOT. The HOP related to a service station that Sheetz was converting into a convenience store in Wingate, Pennsylvania. The new convenience store was scheduled to open in late September of 1990 and Sheetz had requested an expedited review of the permit. [3] The next day, Parmar went to the site of the new Sheetz store and met with the construction superintendent, Joseph Pastorelli. After observing the site, Parmar concluded that there would be no water runoff from the project so Sheetz did not have to submit a drainage control plan. However, Parmar informed Pastorelli that, based on his twenty-five years with PennDOT, the plans did not comply with PennDOT's traffic regulations. For example, he stated that there was no estimate of daily traffic volume on the site and the driveway design was improper because it was too close to an intersection and the curb designs were improper because there was no concrete barrier curbing. Parmar told Pastorelli that, in his opinion, Sheetz would have to rectify those traffic flow deficiencies before the traffic engineer would approve the plans and PennDOT would issue the HOP. While Parmar was present, Pastorelli called the headquarters of Sheetz to explain that changes had to be made to the plans for the site. Sheetz personnel informed Pastorelli that it could take as long a time as a month to prepare and submit revised plans, and the store's opening could be delayed. Parmar offered to perform the requisite revisions and walk the application through the approval process for approximately $5,000. Sheetz ultimately agreed to pay Parmar $3,500 for his services. However, PennDOT's written work rules require employees to obtain prior departmental approval of supplemental employment, which is a term that PennDOT uses to describe a state employee's paid work for another employer done outside of his or her PennDOT job. Parmar did not obtain prior approval of his work for Sheetz and he was aware that performing supplemental employment without prior approval was a violation of PennDOT's work rules. Nevertheless, Parmar revised Sheetz's plans so they would comply with PennDOT's traffic regulations. Parmar wrote on a routing slip that accompanied the plans that the application was acceptable to him as plans engineer and he recommended that PennDOT should issue a HOP on September 17, 1990. He sent the plans, with his changes, within the PennDOT office to the traffic engineer, who also approved the application. Thus, PennDOT issued the HOP to Sheetz in time for the scheduled grand opening of the store on September 30, 1990. Parmar requested that Sheetz pay him in cash for his work, but Sheetz would only pay him by check after he submitted an invoice for his services. At that time, Parmar instructed his daughter to prepare an invoice in the name of her roommate, Dianne Carson, a waitress who had no knowledge of civil engineering. After Sheetz received the invoice, they sent a check made payable to Carson for $3,500.00. Parmar, his daughter and Carson went to the bank to cash the check made payable to Carson. Because Carson did not have sufficient funds in her account to cover the check, the bank required her to deposit the check. The next day, Carson, Parmar and Parmar's daughter went back to the bank and Carson withdrew the funds and gave them to Parmar.