Investigations
Georgia Woman Sentenced in Double Brokering Scheme
On April 17, 2014, Tina Blyth was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Albany, Georgia, to 24 months incarceration, three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $57,450 in restitution for her involvement in an illegal double brokering scheme.
The investigation revealed that Blyth accessed web sites advertising loads of commercial freight available for transport. She bid on the loads using the names of her various companies that had Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration broker authority. Once Blyth was awarded a bid, she led the senders to believe her trucking business would deliver the freight for the contracted price and accepted payment from the senders. After accepting the bid, she immediately re-advertised the job, using a different company name. She hired legitimate trucking companies to pick up the freight and deliver it to the intended destination, never disclosing she had received payment from the senders. As a result, the legitimate trucking companies were never paid.
We investigated this case jointly with the Decatur County Sheriff's Office, Decatur, Georgia.