A Marysville man convicted of mail fraud for cheating a public-transit agency has been sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison.

Ralph E. Woodall, 51, and Ed’s Transmission-Allison Inc. of Everett were convicted last December of five counts of mail fraud for defrauding Community Transit of Snohomish on repair of bus transmissions.

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour imposed the sentence Friday.

Woodall and the firm must pay $310,000 restitution to the transit agency and $515,000 to the federal government for grants furnished to the agency as well as damages and penalties.

They are barred from federal contracts for three years.

The U.S. attorney’s office said that from 1985 to 1993, Woodall and his company billed Community Transit for bus transmission parts that were not installed and charged new-part prices for cheaper rebuilt parts.

Testimony indicated the defendants obtained more than $500,000 from Community Transit as a result of submitting the false bills.

Federal investigators learned of the criminal activity from Robert Taylor, an employee of the transmission firm. He will receive $128,750, which is 25 percent of the amount recovered by the government.