Former FMCSA worker sentenced to prison for soliciting and accepting bribe from trucking company

A U.S. Department of Transportation worker has been sentenced to prison on an extortion charge after he admitted to asking for a bribe in exchange for providing a trucking company with a favorable safety report.

On June 12, 2023, former Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Border Investigator Patrick Gorena was sentenced to 10 months in prison, a $5,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Earlier this year Gorena pleaded guilty to an extortion charge.

Authorities say that “Gorena admitted that when auditing a trucking company, he did not report safety violations that would have exposed the company to potential fines and the loss of their DOT license. In return, Gorena demanded $3,500.”

Gorena was eventually caught accepting $2,000 from an undercover agent posing as a representative from a trucking company.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation – Office of the Inspector General and the FBI.