In a unanimous vote, the Rapid City Council voted to accept a settlement agreement of $375,000 from Fish and a Confession of Judgment in favor of the City of Rapid City.

City officials say, as a result of Fish's fraudulent business practices, the garbage company owed the city upwards of $900,000. That's based on an investigation that found Fish trucks mis-declared more than 3,700 loads dumped at the landfill over several years' time.

The City received Fish's current financial information and determined that Fish had minimal resources to repay that amount, but Mayor Sam Kooiker says the City feels justified in their actions to recoup what they could.

Kooiker says, "This case was more than just about money, and once the info came out and the evidence was uncovered and tabulated, it became very clear that there was a pattern of fraud against the city. Not just against the city, but against the taxpayers, the rate payers, and dozens of businesses, and the scope of the fraud was breathtaking."

Kooiker says the landfill now has an adequate system of checks and balances in place to prevent this type of situation from happening again. City Attorney Joel Landeen says the City has recovered enough money to compensate what was expended in legal fees plus a little extra.

Darren Leeds