US appeals panel tosses 3 Pilot Flying J convictions

A U.S. appellate panel has tossed convictions for the former president of Pilot Flying J and two of his former employees related to a rebate scheme where trucking companies were cheated out of millions of dollars. A split three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that jurors shouldn’t have been played recordings of racist language by former president Mark Hazelwood. Hazelwood was convicted in 2018 of conspiracy, wire fraud and witness tampering. Former Vice President Scott "Scooter" Wombold was convicted of wire fraud, and former account representative Heather Jones of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Hazelwood received a 12 1/2 year prison sentence, Wombold was sentenced to six years and Jones to more than 2 1/2 years. Fourteen former Pilot Flying J employees pleaded guilty earlier. Pilot Flying J is controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The Haslams haven’t been charged with any wrongdoing. The former governor hasn’t been involved with the company in recent years. The company earlier agreed to pay an $85 million settlement to defrauded customers and a $92 million penalty to the government.