Jackson Man Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Commercial Driver’s License Fraud

Jackson, Miss –Benjamin James McGrigg, 42, of Jackson, was sentenced on December 14, 2018, by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for commercial driver’s license fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Regional Special Agent in Charge Todd Damiani with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General.  

McGrigg was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $13,500 to the Pearl River Water Valley Supply District - Reservoir Police Department.  He entered a guilty plea before Judge Jordan on August 17, 2018, to making false and fraudulent material representations.

McGrigg previously worked for a company that provided training and certification to individuals seeking commercial driver’s licenses (“CDLs”). His employment only authorized certification to those that were students of the company.  However, McGrigg provided paperwork to those whom wanted a CDL that were not students of his employer.  He prepared the paperwork representing that the applicant had taken the road skills test, when in fact the applicant had not. This fraudulent paperwork would be given to an individual seeking to obtain a CDL in exchange for payment to McGrigg.  Such fraudulent paperwork would be presented by these individuals to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in order to secure a commercial driver’s license. A review of the commercial drivers’ paperwork in Mississippi showed that some of the applicants could not have achieved the results on the paperwork. Some Commercial Driver’s License holders were interviewed and said they had never taken the test and just paid McGrigg for the paperwork.

"The sentencing in this investigation underscores the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General's commitment to ensuring the integrity of the Department's commercial driver’s license program,” stated Todd Damiani, Regional Special Agent-In-Charge at DOT-OIG. “We remain steadfast in our efforts to prevent and detect CDL fraud schemes which endanger the traveling public in the State of Mississippi and throughout the country.”      

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