Two Trucking Firms Allege Haslam at Center of Rebate Conspiracy
Two trucking companies alleged in a legal filing last week that Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam was at the center of a conspiracy to shortchange them of diesel fuel rebates.
In a Nov. 14 “bill of particulars,” National Retail Transportation Inc. and Keystone Freight Corp. said it was Haslam who instructed Pilot employees to enter into agreements with the carriers to receive specific discounts for purchasing fuel with the truck-stop chain.
“Haslam never intended for Pilot to honor its agreement with the plaintiffs, and rather, each month, Pilot’s employees under Haslam’s direction and control manually adjusted and reduced the rebates that were due and owing to NRT/KFC,” the court document said. “Pilot’s employees, under Haslam’s direction and control, sent fraudulent rebate checks to NRT/KFC in New Jersey.”
The court document did not provide additional details that would prove its claims, and the carriers’ attorney, Leonard Leicht, of Livingston, New Jersey, declined comment on the specifics of the allegations.
“We are confident in the case, looking forward to getting discovery started,” Leicht told Transport Topics.
"CEO Jimmy Haslam from the very beginning of this investigation has said that he was unaware of any wrongdoing, pledged to get to the bottom of the situation, and to correct any discrepancies with any customers. We will deal appropriately with this filing as we have others," said a Pilot Flying J spokesperson.
Pilot has been under investigation since FBI agents raided the company’s Knoxville, Tennessee, headquarters in April 2013.
So far, 10 executives have entered into plea bargain agreements that require them to cooperate with federal investigators, but they have yet to be sentenced.
See below for the full lawsuit.
