Investigations

On December 6, 2016, Shadd Hiles was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Columbus, Ohio, to 15 months’ incarceration and 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $32,996.96 in restitution to the various States affected by his scheme. Six months of his sentence will be served consecutively with a sentence for an unrelated State offense for which he is currently incarcerated. Hiles, the owner of Permit Guys Consulting (PGC), previously pleaded guilty to false statements and wire fraud in a scheme to provide customers with fraudulent overweight state permits.

 

PGC served the trucking industry by obtaining overweight permits, required by each State to ensure safe passage of oversized loads. FHWA’s Office of Freight Management and Operations oversees State enforcement of heavy truck, bus size, and weight standards, including certification regarding the number of permits issued. The issuance of overweight and oversized permits is delegated to individual States.

 

From May 2012 through December 2015, Hiles defrauded over-the-road trucking companies by providing falsified overweight vehicle permits issued by the Wisconsin DOT and the Illinois DOT. The permits were sent via wire communication in interstate commerce.