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Former Ohio trucking company owner sentenced for shipping fraud scheme

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Former Ohio trucking company owner sentenced for shipping fraud scheme
A former trucking company owner has been sentenced to a year in prison for his role in a shipping fraud scheme.

OHIO   The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has sentenced Gurtej Singh, also known as Gary Bhullar, to 12 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release, a $100 special assessment and 100 hours of community service for his role in a shipping fraud scheme.

According to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release from the Office of the Inspector General, on February 6,  Singh, who owned and managed several trucking companies in Ohio and California, pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud shippers.

“The investigation revealed that from April 2018 until May 2022, Singh would charge shippers a premium rate to reserve the entire trailer to ensure their load would not be mixed with cargo from other shipments,” according to the release. “However, Singh and others surreptitiously opened sealed truck trailers and removed goods to illegally consolidate loads to save costs, often failing to deliver many goods to their final destination.”

The original indictment in May 2023 stated Singh and others who own and operated several motor carrier companies conspired to steal cargo from interstate shipments that were supposed to be delivered to Amazon and Bath and Body Works. Singh directed CSE drivers to stop at the CSE warehouse in Columbus, Ohio so employees could steal cargo from their trucks. The employees accessed the trailers by removing locking mechanisms on the trailer doors, making it appear as though the trailer doors were never opened during transport.

Singh also filed an application with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) falsely stating that Singh did not have relationships with other FMCSA regulated entities.

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the Columbus, Ohio Police Department.

Dana Guthrie

Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.

Avatar for Dana Guthrie
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
For over 30 years, the objective of The Trucker editorial team has been to produce content focused on truck drivers that is relevant, objective and engaging. After reading this article, feel free to leave a comment about this article or the topics covered in this article for the author or the other readers to enjoy. Let them know what you think! We always enjoy hearing from our readers.

2 Comments

Sounds like what PST did back in the 80’s in their Atlanta terminal. Removed the door hinges so as to not break the seal.

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