Testimony Describes Openness of Fuel Rebate Fraud within Pilot Flying J
In the ongoing trial of four former Pilot Flying J executives for their participation in a fuel rebate scam, recent witness testimony suggests a culture of openness existed within the company about the fraud that appeared to be encouraged by top-level executives, according to numerous published reports.
The alleged fuel rebate fraud involved promising trucking companies certain amounts of money as a rebate for using Pilot Flying J fuel, but reducing the amount without the trucking companies’ knowledge.
This week, Brian Mosher, a former sales director at Pilot Flying J, gave testimony in court that described conversations with top executives about withholding the full rebates and his work to train sales staff on how to do that, according to a report in the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Mosher told jurors he was so good at it that he had maxed out his commission as a salesman. At one point he said he spoke to Mark Hazelwood, former Pilot Flying J president and one of the four executives on trial, and threatened to stop defrauding customers because it no longer benefitted him personally. Hazelwood allegedly told him that it wasn’t a good idea, and Mosher was later given a promotion to director of national accounts.
Mosher has pleaded guilty for his role in the fraud scam, one of 14 former Pilot Flying J employees who have done so. His testimony directly implicated his former supervisor Hazelwood, who is one of the four employees and the highest-ranking one on trial. The other fomer employees on trial are Scott Wombold, former vice president of national accounts, and two former sales representatives, Karen Mann and Heather Jones.
Mosher also testified specifically about his dealings with Pilot Flying J customer Ryder, saying he created fake spreadsheets to show Ryder personnel, which allowed him to short the company more than …Read the rest of this story
