Former Prime Inc. dispatcher sentenced for stealing $300K from 500 truck driver fuel card accounts

A former Prime Inc. dispatcher was sentenced to federal prison for a years-long scheme to steal funds from the fuel accounts of hundreds of truck drivers.

On August 26, 2024, Corey Louis Hendrickson, 46, of Springfield, Missouri, was sentenced to three years in federal prison without parole, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri. He was also ordered to pay $298,737 in restitution.

In October 2023, Hendrickson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Hendrickson admitted to taking part in a fraud scheme that lasted from September 9, 2016, to August 17, 2021, while he worked as a fleet dispatcher for Prime, Incorporated. In addition to his work as a fleet dispatcher, Hendrickson was also the Mayor of Willard, Missouri from 2015 to 2021.

Officials say that Hendrickson stole the identity information from about 500 truck drivers and withdrew nearly $300,000 from ComData accounts intended to pay for the fuel costs for drivers employed by Prime, Inc. The stolen funds were transferred into Hendrickson’s personal banking account.

Hendrickson allegedly conducted more than 1000 fraudulent transactions.

The average incurred losses for each victim ranged from less than $100 to $6495, with the average loss of a few hundred dollars for each Prime driver’s account.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department.