Scale operator guilty of taking kickbacks for letting trucks through without load ticket or payment

A jury in Florida convicted a man on grand theft charges for a trucking kickback scheme.

Ray Richard Bernaldez Sotomayor was found guilty on a charge of First Degree Grand Theft with a finding of $100,000 or more after a two-day trial in Lee County, Florida.

Bernaldez Sotomayor was arrested on the job by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in April 2025 following an investigation into fraudulent activity at a worksite.

Officials say Bernaldez Sotomayor worked for a materials company as the operator of a scale that weighed rocks after trucks are filled.

“The defendant was allowing dump trucks full of rocks to leave the business without printing a load ticket and requiring payment, instead he was getting financial kickbacks along the way,” said Florida State Attorney Amira D. Fox.

Officials said that the scheme was uncovered after “management noticed truck drivers waiting to go through the defendant’s line even when other lines, that had scales, were open.”

The company then reviewed surveillance video dating back a year, and contacted the police.

Bernaldez Sotomayor is scheduled for sentencing on July 31, 2026.