Former manager sentenced to prison for embezzling $1.5 million from California trucking company

A Fresno resident was sentenced to prison for a multi-year scheme to defraud his trucking company employer.

On November 25, Gabriel Ruiz De Chavez, 47, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for an embezzlement scheme.

He was also ordered to pay over $1.5 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Ruiz De Chavez previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Between 2004 to 2020, Ruiz De Chavez was employed as an operations manager for a trucking company based in Fresno, California.

Starting in 2012 through 2019, officials say that Ruiz De Chavez generated more than 600 fake invoices and corresponding checks signed by his employer that were deposited into Ruiz De Chavez’s own personal bank account.

The embezzled funds were used for credit card payments, cash withdrawals, mortgage payments, vacations, and car loans.

Officials say that the scheme netted Ruiz De Chavez $1,561,000.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fresno Police Department.