A trucking company owner and a logistics employee were recently sentenced for a scheme that cheated companies out of more than $800,000.
From July 2021 to August 2024, Philip Charles Smith, 41, of Richmond Hill, Ga., used his employee access as a previous employee of a company that served the Port of Savannah to create fake freight-hauling jobs he assigned to Antonio J. Evans Sr., 41, of Sylvania, Ga., according to court documents.
Smith has previously been tasked with awarding contracts on behalf of his employer to third-party carriers moving freight from the port to other destinations.
As part of the scheme, companies at the Port of Savannah paid Evans for work that was never completed. Smith also received a portion of these funds.
During a three-year period, the fake invoice scheme totaled $821,899, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.
“Private companies that serve the transportation needs for the Port of Savannah, like all companies, deserve to expect honesty and integrity from their employees and service providers,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, said in a news release. “Philip Smith betrayed the trust of his employer in order to funnel fake work to Antonio Evans so the two of them could line their pockets, and they’re now being held accountable for their dishonesty.”
For their roles in the scheme, both men pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
Smith was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to serve three years of supervised release. Evans received a 13-month prison sentence and will also serve three years of supervised release.
“Schemes like this exploit positions of trust and undermine the integrity of critical supply chain operations supporting the Port of Savannah,” said Brad Snider, Senior Supervisory Resident Agent of FBI Georgia’s Savannah office. “The FBI is committed to holding accountable those who use fraud and deception for personal gain, and we will continue working with our partners to protect businesses from financial crimes that impact commerce and the broader economy.”
In addition to their prison sentences, U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ordered Smith and Evans to be held equally responsible for paying $821,899 in restitution. LL
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