Benjamin James McGrigg, Commercial Driver’s License Fraud, Mississippi 2018

Defendant Pleads Guilty to Commercial Driver’s License Fraud

A 43-year-old Jackson man has admitted to a scheme to defraud the state of Mississippi out of commercial driver’s licenses, federal authorities announced today.

Benjamin James McGrigg, 43, of Jackson, pled guilty today before Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to commercial driver’s license fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General Regional Special Agent in Charge Marlies Gonzalez.

McGrigg worked for a company that provided training and certification to individuals seeking commercial driver’s licenses, but his employment only authorized certification to those who were students of the company. However, McGrigg provided paperwork to individuals who wanted a CDL but were not students of his employer, saying they had taken the road skills test when in fact they had not.

The fraudulent paperwork would be presented to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in exchange for payment to McGrigg by the individuals seeking to obtain a CDL. An investigation showed that some of the applicants could not have achieved the results on the paperwork, and some commercial driver’s license holders said they had never taken the test and just paid McGrigg for the paperwork.

‘This investigation demonstrates our commitment to protecting the efficacy of DOT’s commercial driver’s license regulations and advancing safety on the roads by ensuring that only qualified individuals obtain CDLs,’ stated Marlies Gonzalez, Regional Special Agent-In-Charge at U.S. DOT-OIG.

McGrigg will be sentenced by Judge Jordan on November 16, 2018, at 9:15 a.m. and faces a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Chalk.

McGrigg’s actions demonstrate the need for vigilance in ensuring that only qualified individuals obtain commercial driver’s licenses.

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