A federal judge has set sentencing hearings for 17 people who were convicted or pleaded guilty in the Pilot Flying J fraud investigation.
Three executives were found guilty in a federal trial in February. Fourteen former employees had already pleaded guilty, and some testified at trial. They were accused of taking part in a scheme to defraud commercial fuel customers of promised rebates.
With so many defendants, the judge worked to determine the best way to conduct the sentencing hearings.
"Although their convictions and cases arise out of a common investigation, some common facts, and the same or similar statutory violations, each Defendant has a separate background, history, and involvement in the criminal violations," United States District Judge Curtis L. Collier wrote in his order. "For these reasons, their sentencing hearings will involve different Sentencing Guideline
considerations and calculations, different aggravating and mitigating factors, and different
personal characteristics."
After gathering input from prosecutors and defense attorneys, Judge Collier decided to sentence the three convicted at trial together first, then grouped the others together according to several factors, including the amount of money involved, how long they were part of the conspiracy, and their part in the scheme.
The sentencing dates scheduled are:
August 22, 2018
Mark Hazelwood
Scott Wombold
Heather Jones
September 5, 2018
Brian Mosher
John Freeman
Vicki Borden
October 3, 2018
Arnold Ralenkotter
James S. Stinnett
John Spiewak
November 7, 2018
Kevin Clark
Michael Scott Fenwick
Christopher Andrews
Katy Bibee
December 19, 2018
Ashley Judd
Holly Radford
Janet Welch
Lexie Holden
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As a federal judge prepares to sentence 17 former Pilot Flying J employees on charges related to a fraud scheme, he's asking prosecutors to rank the defendants in order of severity of their crimes.
U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier issued an order Monday saying the list will help with scheduling the sentencing phase of the case.
The judge said the 17 defendants will be sentenced in groups of three or four. In the order, he gives the government prosecutors one week to file a list of the defendants in order of their "respective culpability."
The list will help in determining those groupings "in an orderly and logical manner," Collier wrote.
Earlier this month, a Chattanooga jury found 3 former pilot employees guilty in the case. A fourth defendant was found not guilty of the one charge against her.
The three defendants' sentencing is set for June 27 in Chattanooga.
Fourteen other former Pilot employees previously pleaded guilty in the case, and some of them testified in the trial for former Pilot president Mark Hazelwood, former vice president Scott Wombold and former sales employees Heather Jones and Karen Mann.