Truck company owner convicted of fraud

While the big issue in driver compliance right now deals with violations regarding Hours of Service, a recent incident in Minnesota illustrates that some of the larger problems have not quite gone away yet.

CBS affiliate WCCO reports that a Marlon Louis Danner, the operator of Danner, Inc. and Bull Dog Leasing, Inc., was been sentenced to 15 months for defrauding his contract drivers of more than $120,000.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reports that Danner was initially charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud and one count of making a false statement, but was ultimately convicted of one count of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding his drivers.

Danner helped to provide drivers for the project to rebuild the Minnesota Highway 120-Century Avenue, but failed to pay the wages required for federally-funded projects. After being forced to pay more than $185,000 to cover those costs, Danner turned around and tried to convince the drivers that it was all a mistake and they needed to return the money.

Now the 67-year-old will spend the next year and three months in prison, along with paying $175,000 in fines and restitution.

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