Columbus, OH – The owner of several Happy’s Pizza stores in Northeast Ohio must serve a year probation and pay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation $18,000 after failing to bring one of his BWC policies into compliance.
Mike G. Abro, 43, of Avon Lake, pleaded guilty July 6 in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to one second-degree misdemeanor count of Failure to Comply. As a condition of his probation, Abro was ordered to bring the policy into compliance with the law. Abro made a $15,000 payment in June, and must enter into a payment plan on his remaining balance of approximately $18,000.
BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID) started looking at Abro in early 2014 after BWC staffers could not resolve a payment issue with Happy Pizza’s Michigan headquarters. Investigators subsequently discovered Abro owned six Happy’s Pizza locations in Cuyahoga, Lorain and Stark counties, and four policies had lapsed.
BWC worked with Abro to bring those policies current, but pressed charges earlier this year after Abro failed to become compliant at his East Cleveland location.
Source: Ohio BWC SID