Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam speaks to the media during a news conference at the Pilot Flying J headquarters in Knoxville in this file photo.KNOXVILLE – Former FBI Director Louis Freeh’s firm has been hired by trucking companies suing Pilot Flying J over allegations that the nation’s largest diesel fuel retailer bilked customers out of rebates.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Tate told WBIR-TV on Wednesday that Freeh has agreed to work on the lawsuit filed after federal agents raided Pilot’s headquarters in Knoxville last month.
Pilot is run by CEO Jimmy Haslam, who is also the owner of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and the brother of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
The FBI alleges members of Pilot’s sales team deliberately withheld rebates to boost Pilot profits and pad sales commissions. No criminal charges have been filed.
A Knoxville judge last month rejected a claim in the civil lawsuit that Jimmy Haslam was tampering with potential witnesses by contacting trucking companies and offering to reimburse them for any unpaid rebates.