| Item: | Trucking Firm, Owners, Drivers Sentenced in Conspiracy Case | | Date: | February 4, 1999 | | Type: | Press Release | | Summary: | Blackwell Auto Brokers Inc., owners John and Linda Blackwell and drivers Joe Eddins Jr., and William Watford were sentenced for conspiracy to commit fraud. The Blackwells let unqualified drivers, including Watford and Eddins, drive commercial trucks and provided false ID for the drivers to show regulators; the Blackwells also gave false information to their insurance company so Watford could get liability coverage. A U.S. District Court judge fined the corporation $12,000 and placed it on 24 months probation. The Blackwells each were fined $2,000 and must pay restitution of $3,362 and serve 5 years probation. John Blackwell further must serve 6 months in a halfway house. Watford was sentenced to 4 months home confinement and 5 years probation. Eddins was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and 5 years probation.
Go to http://www.dot.gov/affairs/1998/oig3098.htm for a press release about the guilty pleas, and for one regarding the indictments, go to http://www.dot.gov/affairs/1998/oig2298.htm. |
| Page: | http://www.dot.gov/affairs/1999/oig0699.htm | |
