Jimmy Haslam, owner of the Cleveland Browns, is currently under investigation for rebate fraud with his truck stop chain, Pilot Flying J. Haslam is the CEO of the establishment and the FBI is claiming employees have been withholding diesel fuel price rebates and discounts from Pilot customers in order to increase profits and increase diesel sales for the employees. As the FBI continues to look into the matter, Haslam may be asked to step down from his position with the Browns in order for the team to not be associated with the investigation. They will likely ask for him to cut off contact with the team.
Federal court documents reveal that members of the company's sales team deceived trucking companies by reducing the amount of rebates they were owed when buying certain amounts of fuel. Investigators are in the process of securing search warrants in order to raid the Pilot Flying J headquarters. One employee told the FBI that Haslam knew about the fraud taking place all along.
Haslam has held a press conference where he denied any wrongdoing, claiming his company is "built on its integrity and that any willful wrongdoing by any employee of this company at any time is intolerable." Haslam intends on working with authorities throughout the investigation.
The investigation began after the FBI was contacted back in 2011 by a confidential employee who informed them of the possible scheme happening at the gas station. Informants recorded conversations among employees of the Pilot as they discussed the rebates. Pilot is currently the nation's No.1 retailer for diesel fuel and is primarily owned by Haslam and his family. According to the IRS, it is common for gas stations to hand out rebates on diesel fuel so they can be filed as income and be expensed.
Haslam bought the Cleveland Browns in the summer of 2012 for $1 billion. He has been with the team preparing for the upcoming NFL draft, but could now be asked to step down from his position. The NFL has not commented on the ongoing investigation but is likely to bring out disciplinary action on Haslam if he is found guilty.
