SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Five defendants have been sentenced for their roles in a long-running bid-rigging conspiracy for ready-mix concrete in the greater Savannah area, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. James Pedrick, Gregory Melton, John Melton, Timothy “Bo” Strickland and Evans Concrete LLC were charged in September 2020 with conspiring to fix prices, rig bids and allocate jobs for concrete used in residential, commercial and public projects. According to the DOJ, for roughly six years, the defendants coordinated price-increase letters to customers and allocated specific jobs in the coastal Georgia area. They also submitted bids to customers at collusive and noncompetitive prices, the DOJ said. Convicted killer accused in officer-involved shooting faces new charges “Concrete is an essential material in construction projects, with prices set in the free market by the forces of supply and demand,” said U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg for the Southern District of Georgia. “However, the defendants in this case for several years illegally rigged the system to benefit themselves at the expense of customers and are being held accountable for their conduct.” Gregory Melton was sentenced Friday to 41 months in prison and three years of supervised release and to pay a $50,000 fine. John Melton was also sentenced Friday to 26 months in prison, three years of supervised release and to pay a $10,000 fine. The court previously sentenced Strickland to five months in prison and to pay a $150,000 fine, Pedrick to one year of probation and Evans Concrete to pay a $2.7 million fine. Meanwhile, Argos USA LLC agreed to pay a $20 million criminal penalty.