Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, June 5, 2025:
Louisiana police bust staged-accident fraud scheme
Arrests have been made in Louisiana following an investigation into a suspected staged crash scheme involving a trucking company.
On March 25, troopers with the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft Unit (IFAT) Breaux Bridge Field Office launched the investigation, which led to the arrests of 45-year-old Justin Ledet of Rayne, 38-year-old Steven Thomas of Lafayette, and 37-year-old Alfred Onezine of Breaux Bridge.
The investigation began after troopers received a criminal complaint from the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI), following a report from a trucking company that suspected fraudulent activity related to a crash that occurred on Jan. 19 in Lafayette Parish.
Investigating troopers determined that Ledet, Thomas and Onezine allegedly conspired to stage a crash at the intersection of Willow Street and Teurlings Drive in Lafayette. Ledet, while operating the company’s truck, intentionally struck the rear of a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Thomas, who was accompanied by Onezine and three juvenile passengers.
Following the crash, all five occupants of the Silverado filed insurance claims against the trucking company, seeking a combined potential fraud amount of approximately $10 million in damages.
[Related: Members of Congress call for task force on staged accident fraud]
On May 2, troopers arrested Ledet and Thomas for charges of Automobile Insurance Fraud. Both were processed into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center without incident.
On May 29, Onezine was arrested on a warrant for three counts of Cruelty to Juveniles and four counts of Automobile Insurance Fraud. During the arrest, Onezine resisted Troopers and was additionally charged with Resisting an Officer. He was processed into the St. Martin Parish Jail without further incident.
The investigation continues. “When individuals try to take advantage of a system that our residents rely on, it can put lives at risk and burden others with the cost,” said Col. Robert Hodges, Louisiana State Police Superintendent. “I’m proud of the work our Troopers did alongside the Louisiana Department of Insurance.”
Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple added that “Louisiana drivers are already paying the highest auto rates in the nation," in his words. "These men put three children in harm’s way to try and make a quick buck off our insurance system and the citizens who pay into it. My thanks go out to the LDI Fraud team for their good work in identifying this staged accident scheme and to State Police for their thorough investigation and successful arrests.”
This scheme is seemingly unrelated to the widespread staged-accident fraud scheme that has been uncovered in recent years in New Orleans.
[Related: New Orleans staged accidents: Guilty plea for murder charge, more]
Brake Safety Week: Date set for late August
On the heels of its International Roadcheck inspection blitz, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced that its annual Brake Safety Week enforcement effort will be held Aug. 24-30.
During the week-long initiative, law enforcement personnel in the United States, Canada and Mexico will conduct routine commercial motor vehicle inspections throughout the week, focusing on brake systems and components, while educating drivers and motor carriers about the importance of brake safety and providing brake inspection and violation data to CVSA.
During the brakes-focused initiative, inspectors will focus on drums and rotors, the emphasis for this year’s brake-safety initiative. Brake drum and rotor issues may affect a vehicle’s brake efficiency. Broken pieces of drums and rotors may become dislodged from the vehicle while en route and damage other vehicles or result in injuries or fatalities to the motoring public.
[Related: Brake inspection blitz: 2024 results show 12% out-of-service rate]
Vehicles found to have brake-related out-of-service violations, or any other out-of-service violations, will be removed from roadways until those violations are corrected.
In addition, brake-safety educational efforts by inspectors, motor carriers and others in the industry take place during Brake Safety Week and are integral to the success of the campaign, CVSA said. CVSA offers resources to help drivers, motor carriers, owner-operators and mechanics prepare for Brake Safety Week. A big part of the goal for the week is to educate drivers, mechanics, large- and small-fleet motor carriers, owner-operators, and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance and operation.
[Related: Connecticut inspectors talk HOS, ELP enforcement at Roadcheck]
California fleet owner charged over $2 million credit card fraud
Hasan Korkmaz, the owner and operator of San Diego Logistics Group Inc., a Santee, California-based trucking company, was arraigned in federal court June 3 on an 18-count indictment charging him with 12 counts of bank fraud, two counts of money laundering and four counts of aggravated identity theft.
Korkmaz’s company is listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER as having three trucks and five drivers, but an inactive USDOT number.
According to the indictment, in 2022 and 2023, Korkmaz allegedly executed a credit card “bust-out” scheme in which fraudsters establish seemingly legitimate credit card accounts and then “bust out” by maxing out the credit line with no intention of paying the balance.
The indictment alleges that Korkmaz obtained names, dates of birth, social security numbers and other personally identifiable information corresponding with real individuals. Korkmaz then allegedly applied for numerous credit card accounts with that information.
After opening the fraudulent credit cards accounts, Korkmaz allegedly used the credit cards to incur charges at various businesses, including Korkmaz’s own San Diego Logistics Group Inc. The charges were in the thousands of dollars each, including some charges as high as $18,500 in a single transaction.
To perpetuate the scheme, Korkmaz also allegedly made fraudulent payments, with checks drawn on accounts with insufficient funds or drawn on non-existent accounts, to the credit card accounts, thereby temporarily restoring the available credit limits, the indictment said. Korkmaz would then incur additional charges on the credit card accounts at or near the maximum credit limits for the accounts.
As alleged in the indictment, Korkmaz laundered the bank fraud proceeds, including by transferring money to a Turkish bank account he controlled. In total, he caused more than $2,103,000 in losses to two banks.
If convicted, the bank fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine; the money laundering charges carry a max penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum $500,000 fine, or twice the amount of monetary instruments involved in the offense, whichever is greatest; and the aggravated identity theft charges carry a max penalty of a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison, to run consecutively to the specified felony.
[Related: Fleet owner indicted in $3M fraud scheme against Amazon]
