SAVANNAH, Ga. – John Laakso, also known as John Trebesch, 57, of Savannah, Georgia, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison for embezzling nearly $500,000 from his former employer, a local manufacturing company.
Laakso, a former Engineering Manager at the plant, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in November 2024. On December 2, 2025, Chief Judge R. Stan Baker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia imposed the sentence following his guilty plea.
Court records reveal that Laakso used his managerial position to secretly award lucrative contracts to companies he controlled. These arrangements included payments for services that were never performed, as well as inflated charges for goods and services, allowing Laakso to divert funds for his personal gain…