The former operations manager at a large Gainesville, Georgia-based trucking company has been charged with stealing more than $500,000 from the company in an embezzlement scheme that also involved the carrier’s drivers.
Dustin Jarrard, who worked for Tribe Transportation when the alleged theft occurred, was arraigned on Tuesday in court after being indicted by a federal grand jury for wire fraud.
“This case is a clear example of financial fraud fueled by greed,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge in Atlanta, Paul Brown. “Jarrard allegedly manipulated internal processes to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars. The FBI is committed to uncovering and stopping this kind of corporate theft.”
The stolen money “was intended to help truckers on the road,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore. Hertzberg. “We will hold accountable those who abuse their positions of trust and embezzle funds for their personal use.”
The charges against Jarrard, 38, occurred between May 2018 through May 2024 while he worked for the company, which advertises itself as a Native American woman-owned business.
As operation manager, Jarrad had the authority to request expense reimbursements on behalf of truck drivers, and would do so by sending the driver’s name, the reason for the expense, and the amount of the reimbursement to the company’s accounting department, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Over the course of more than three years, Jarrard sent fraudulent reimbursement requests – including reimbursement for drivers who were not actually employed by the company – that resulted in payments Jarrard redeemed for his own use, according to prosecutors.
“In other cases, Jarrard enlisted Tribe Transportation drivers in his scheme and falsely submitted payment requests for expenses never incurred and layover bonuses that were not earned,” the attorney’s office stated. “After receiving funds that were not owed to them, the drivers transferred some of the money to Jarrard for his personal use.”
Tribe Transportation operates 283 power units and employs 277 drivers, according to FMCSA data.
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