Two More Guilty Pleas in Pilot Flying J Fraud Case

Two employees of Pilot Flying J pled guilty to charges of fraud in the ongoing investigation of the fuel company’s treatment of its customers.

On Monday morning Janet Welch, a Pilot account manager, plead guilty to conspiracy to commit a federal offense, her attorney, Robert Kurtz, confirmed.

Appearing in the U.S. District Court in Knoxville, Welch admitted that she conspired to fraudulently reduce rebates due to trucking company customers, according to an account of the session by WATE in Knoxville.

Shortly after Welch entered her plea, former Pilot Flying J regional sales manager Michael Scott Fenwick also entered a guilty plea, according to news accounts.

These pleas bring to seven the number of Pilot Flying J employees who have pleaded guilty in the ongoing matter.

In a statement to WATE, Pilot Flying J spokesperson Rachel Albright said the company is disappointed that the two have admitted to acting against the best interests of its customers.

“We reiterate that the company, led by CEO Jimmy Haslam, is committed to do what is right, to pay back every customer affected by these actions, to implement policies and procedures to ensure this does not happen again, and to restore our customers’ trust and confidence,” she said.

The news of the guilty pleas follows other developments in the matter: consideration of a request to consolidate all the lawsuits in the case, and a class-action settlement by Pilot Flying J with eight companies.