
A trucking company owner has been charged for bribing a Texas officer to receive passing state inspection stickers for his entire fleet of trucks.
According to court records, 40-year-old Orlinte Cruz, the owner of Cruz and Sons Transportation based in Dallas, allegedly bribed Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant Kevin Gerard Cauley with at least $20,000 to receiving passing inspections for his fleet of more than 36 trucks, regardless of condition.
Cruz was charged with honest services wire fraud for the alleged scheme.
The Texas DPS officer, Kevin Cauley, was also charged with honest services wire fraud back in April after it was determined that he “took payments in exchange for favorable official action through corrupt means.”
Cauley pleaded guilty to the charge back in June, but a sentencing date has not yet been set.
Cruz, who also goes by the name Giovanni, began Cruz and Sons Transportation in April of 2013 and also owns a trucking company called UGMA Logistics.
Cruz and Sons Transportation employs about 20 truckers, and according to their website, provides an “outstanding customer satisfaction record” that “clearly reinforces Giovanni’s claim that Cruz and Sons Transportation is the nation’s finest.”
“At Cruz & Sons Transportation LLC, safety is our biggest concern,” the website adds.
Cruz has refused to comment on the charges.
According to court documents, the alleged scheme lasted for over a year, beginning in July 2014 and ending in September 2015.