Action in three trucking-related crimes has recently been reported by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, including another fraudulent CDL testing scheme, illegal hazmat transport and insurance fraud.
N.J. trucking co. owner sentenced over insurance fraud
A New Jersey trucking company owner was sentenced this week to nine years in a state prison for filing more than $1.2 million in false claims for refrigerated cargo that allegedly spoiled in cross-country transport. Palm Coast, Florida, resident Alexei Legassov, must also pay $1,286,911 in restitution to two insurance companies – Harleysville Insurance Company, which has now merged with Nationwide Insurance, and American International Group.
According to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, Legassov pleaded guilty in January to second-degree insurance fraud and misconduct by a corporate official. The charges stemmed from crimes he committed in connection with several trucking companies he owned or operated in Middlesex County, N.J., including Akmos Trade Ltd.; Moon and Eggplant Ltd.; Passing Score LLC; and G.K. Refrigerated Line, LLC.
Grewal says that between July 2012 and May 2017, Legassov submitted more than a dozen fraudulent insurance claims for losses purportedly incurred then the reefer units on his trucks broke down in transport, damaging or destroying fruits, vegetables, frozen cakes and other refrigerated goods. According to Grewal, the cargo never existed or had not been damaged or destroyed.
“Cargo fraud has a trickle-down effect that impacts everyone. It drives up insurance premiums for honest trucking companies, which increases the cost of transporting food. As a result, we all pay higher prices at the grocery store,” Grewal said in a press release. “The significant prison sentence this defendant received should serve as a deterrent to other business owners tempted to illegally pad their bottom line by cheating carriers that insure cargo vital to commerce.”
California man gets prison time for illegally transporting hazmat
