ATLANTA — A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for falsifying statements to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in order to create multiple unauthorized trucking companies.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, Roderick Billingslea entered his guilty plea on April 11 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia,
Billingslea was indicted in February 2024.
“The investigation revealed that Billingslea devised a scheme to defraud SBA (Small Business Administration) by using false statements and fraudulent pretenses related to a loan/grant request for CARES Act funds. As a result, Billingslea wrongfully received $564,363.”
Additionally, Billingslea knowingly made false statements to FMCSA on Form MCSA-1, which is required to operate a motor carrier entity in the United States, according to court documents.
After the FMCSA ordered Billingslea to cease operation for willful violations, the defendant reincarnated numerous motor carriers owned by the defendant, including E-Cargo, Hidden Valley Transportation, US Transport, Midwest Express and Dispatch USA, to bypass federal regulations and laws.
The investigation is ongoing, and sentencing information has not yet been announced.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
Credit: Source link
