Bessemer man sentenced to 15 months home detention in kickback scheme

Oct 11, 2015 at 09:09 AM CST
By Kent Faulk \| [email protected] http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/10/bessemer_man_sentenced_to_15_m.html A Bessemer man has been sentenced to 15 months of home detention with electronic monitoring for his plea in a kickback scheme he ran while working as a freight broker for a Shelby County company, federal authorities announced Friday. William G. McCulley, 31, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala to four years of probation, including the home detention, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton. McCulley was sentenced based on his plea to one count of wire fraud. He was ordered by Haikala to pay $60,295 in restitution to his former employer, Interstar Transportation Services, plus $50,000 to Auto-Owners Insurance Company, which had paid a related claim from ITS, according to the statement. Haikala also ordered McCulley to forfeit $96,809 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity, and to perform five hours a week of community service during his probation, according to the statement. ITS is an independent brokerage agency for a Jacksonville, Fla.-based company, Landstar, which operates a fleet of trucks and transportation equipment throughout the United States. McCulley worked as a freight broker for Interstar and was responsible for contracting with various trucking companies across the country. Between April 2013 and July 2014, McCulley devised a kickback scheme with the owner of an Illinois trucking company, ZDL Express, according to the statement. To carry out the scheme, ZDL Express inflated its freight costs to Landstar, and McCulley approved the fraudulent charges. McCulley and Landstar's owner split the illegally gained profits after ZDL received payment from Landstar, according to the statement. McCully committed wire fraud when he faxed Landstar Load Confirmation forms from the ITS corporate office in Shelby County to ZDL Express in Illinois and approved fraudulent charges on the forms, according to the statement.

Oct 11, 2015 at 09:09 AM CST

By Kent Faulk | [email protected]

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/10/bessemer_man_sentenced_to_15_m.html

A Bessemer man has been sentenced to 15 months of home detention with electronic monitoring for his plea in a kickback scheme he ran while working as a freight broker for a Shelby County company, federal authorities announced Friday.

William G. McCulley, 31, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala to four years of probation, including the home detention, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton.

McCulley was sentenced based on his plea to one count of wire fraud. He was ordered by Haikala to pay $60,295 in restitution to his former employer, Interstar Transportation Services, plus $50,000 to Auto-Owners Insurance Company, which had paid a related claim from ITS, according to the statement.

Haikala also ordered McCulley to forfeit $96,809 to the government as proceeds of illegal activity, and to perform five hours a week of community service during his probation, according to the statement.

ITS is an independent brokerage agency for a Jacksonville, Fla.-based company, Landstar, which operates a fleet of trucks and transportation equipment throughout the United States. McCulley worked as a freight broker for Interstar and was responsible for contracting with various trucking companies across the country.

Between April 2013 and July 2014, McCulley devised a kickback scheme with the owner of an Illinois trucking company, ZDL Express, according to the statement. To carry out the scheme, ZDL Express inflated its freight costs to Landstar, and McCulley approved the fraudulent charges. McCulley and Landstar's owner split the illegally gained profits after ZDL received payment from Landstar, according to the statement.

McCully committed wire fraud when he faxed Landstar Load Confirmation forms from the ITS corporate office in Shelby County to ZDL Express in Illinois and approved fraudulent charges on the forms, according to the statement.