KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Two former Pilot Flying J sales employees pleaded guilty today in federal court as part of an ongoing federal investigation into alleged fuel rebate fraud, reported The Knoxville News Sentinel. Scott Fenwick, a former regional sales manager, admitted to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, Tenn.
Also pleading guilty was Janet Welch, a former Pilot senior account manager, said the report.
The Knoxville, Tenn.-based truckstop company has been the subject of intense scrutiny since April 15, when agents of the FBI and the IRS raided its headquarters, and seized documents, emails and computer files related to the alleged scheme to defraud trucking-company customers at its more than 650 truckstops.
Fenwick was a regional sales manager, working remotely from Salt Lake City, according to federal court records cited by the newspaper. He worked under Vincent Greco, a regional sales director in Texas, who federal court records show became a confidential source for federal authorities as they began in 2011 investigating alleged fuel rebate fraud by Pilot employees.
Fenwick told U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar of Kentucky on Monday that he resigned from Pilot on April 24, nine days after federal authorities raided Pilot headquarters.
Several people who worked with or for Greco have pleaded guilty so far, typically to charges of mail or wire fraud.
In addition to Fenwick, others who have pleaded: Arnold Ralenkotter, Ashley Judd, Holly Radford, Jay Stinnett and Kevin Clark.
Click here to read the full News Sentinel report.
Pilot Flying J is the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America. Its network provides customers with access to more than 60,000 parking spaces for trucks, more than 4,400 showers and more than 4,000 diesel lanes. Pilot Logistics Services is one of the largest independent energy logistics companies in North America, selling and distributing more than 1.3 billion gallons of refined petroleum products and serving more than 15,000 customers. Together, Pilot Flying J and Pilot Logistics Services generate sales of approximately nine billion gallons of petroleum annually.
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