Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022:
Tijuana resident Alexis Castillo Padilla pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this month to criminal charges related to a double-brokering scheme targeting trucking companies and brokers, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
According to his plea agreement, as a part of the scheme, Padilla stole the identity of a Spring Valley, California-based interstate carrier and agreed to make deliveries using the company’s stolen identity. Then, rather than delivering the loads, Padilla posed as a shipper and re-brokered the same loads to other carriers who delivered the freight.
Padilla then allegedly collected the payments for the completed deliveries, but did not pay the carriers who actually delivered the loads and were unaware that Padilla was running a double-broker scheme. Padilla orchestrated most of the scheme from Tijuana, Mexico, DOJ said.
Padilla pleaded guilty to these charges following his extradition to the United States from Italy. Padilla was arrested in Italy and extradited to the United States on May 27, 2022. As a part of his plea agreement, Padilla has agreed to pay restitution to his victims, estimated to be at least $239,904.
“Padilla used deceit and deception to defraud freight brokers and interstate carriers trying to make an honest living moving goods throughout the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “He will now be held to account for his crimes even though they were committed from outside the United States.”
[Related: Growing broker/carrier identity theft schemes reaping millions]
