Amador County – A visiting judge sentenced local contractor Bruce “Buddy” White last week to six years in prison for violating probation from a 2009 conviction of bilking the owners of Mel & Faye’s Diner.

Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe released details, saying White in October 2009 received a six-year prison sentence, which was suspended to 10 years probation. White was convicted of four felony counts of diversion of construction funds and two felony counts of embezzlement by a contractor. One of the conditions of probation was that White must pay $210,000 in victim restitution to Bart and Maura Gillman, owners of Mel & Faye’s, and “provide detailed financial documents describing all assets and property transactions to the probation officer every two months.”

Riebe said visiting Judge Robert Dale in 2009 admonished White, saying “the only reason he didn’t send him to state prison immediately was so that he could pay the Gillmans back for what he had taken.” Because of White’s “lack of remorse, and in order to protect the public,” Riebe said, “Judge Dale revoked White’s state contractor’s license.”

On Oct. 19, 2011, Riebe said “White was found to have violated his felony probation” by a “drunk driving conviction and failing to pay any victim restitution to the Gillmans.” Last Wednesday, Nov. 16, “at the urging of visiting Judge Thomas Kolpacoff, Maura Gillman spoke of how White’s actions had dealt a devastating blow to their family, nearly causing them to declare bankruptcy and jeopardizing their children’s college careers,” Riebe said. “After listening to argument on both sides, Judge Kopacoff lifted the suspension and sentenced White, 63, to six years in state prison.”

White won a bid to build Mel & Faye’s Diner in Jackson in 2003, bidding $567,000, Riebe said. Subcontractors came to the Gillmans “to request payment for their work, either because they would not deal with White directly or they had been told by White to seek payment from the Gillmans.” By November 2003, the Gillmans had paid $735,000 to White and $200,000 to subcontractors.

The Gillmans filed a civil suit against White, winning a jury trial in 2007. Criminal charges were filed against White in 2006. Riebe praised Deputy District Attorney Gabrielle Boggess’ work on the case.

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