Saturday, June 8, 2013

Situation Gets Worse For Pilot Flying J


Two of Pilot Flying J’s executives, Arnold Ralenkotter and Ashley Judd, have recently pleaded guilty to the federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Many expect a number of other executives to  have criminal charges brought against them in the near future for their participation in a scheme to reduce promised rebates to truckers across the country. The crimes could bring prison sentences of up to 20 years.  It will be interested to see if the CEO, Jimmy Haslem, will be implicated.

Haslem, who also owns the Cleveland Browns, told other NFL owners that he had no knowledge of the illegal scheme to cheat trucking companies.  In a 120 page affidavit, the FBI claims that Haslem did have some knowledge of the program.
The FBI raided Pilot’s headquarters in Knoxville, TN, on April 15, and it was there that the government found overwhelming evidence against Ralenkotter and Judd. Ralenkotter has since admitted to participating in the scheme from 2008 through April 2013. Ralenkotter’s attorney stated, “He knew it was wrong and indefensible, and we felt it was in his best interest to enter a guilty plea early.”

Details of the fraudulent scheme can be found here: