Three years after a federal investigation began into accusations that executives at Pilot Flying J defrauded trucking customers via a fuel rebate scheme, eight former company employees found themselves indicted in U.S. District Court.
Mark Hazlewood, the former president of Pilot Flying J, topped the grand jury indictment list followed by Scott Wombold, John Freeman, Vicki Borden, John Spiewak, Katy Bibee, Heather Jones, and Karen Mann.
The company settled most of the claims related to the case back in 2013 per an $84.9 million deal approved in federal court with some 5,500 customers, with several other lawsuits on track for settlement soon, according to WBIR.com.
WKYC News 3 reports that just before 1 p.m. Feb. 9 Pilot Flying J released a statement in response to the ongoing investigation. The statement, according to WKYC, reads:
“We’re obviously disappointed and saddened by today’s events but cannot further comment on any matters which are part of the ongoing investigation. We can say that since this unfortunate episode began, the company has put in place policies and procedures unparalleled in the industry to prevent anything like his from happening again.
The company has cooperated with the investigation since its beginning and will continue to do so. The company repaid affected customers, accepted legal responsibility, and agreed to pay a monetary penalty. The trust and confidence of Pilot Flying J’s customers continues to be of paramount importance to the company and their continued support and loyalty is very much appreciated.”
