A federal magistrate judge says the former-president of the Pilot Flying J truck stop chain must wear an electronic monitoring device and be placed on house arrest while he awaits sentencing on his conspiracy and fraud conviction.
The judge Friday declined to jail Mark Hazelwood pending sentencing. Statements at the hearing revealed the company has paid Hazelwood 34 million dollars since October 2014 and intends to pay him another 6 million in May, money the company says he was owed under his employment contract. A jury this week convicted Hazelwood and two former top officials involved in a billing scheme that cheated trucking companies out of promised fuel rebates. Like Hazelwood, Pilot vice president Scott Wombold and former account representative Heather Jones were found guilty of fraud and conspiracy charges. Pilot is controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Neither has been charged. Jimmy Haslam, a self-described 'hands-on' businessman, denied knowing about the scheme. Federal prosecutors presented a witness and played audio recordings in court that they say contradicts that claim.
