GRAND JURY ISSUES 125 COUNT INDICTMENT IN TRUCK DRIVER SMUGGLING SCHEME

Following a year long investigation by the Justice Department, State Department, IRS, INS and the Australian Federal Police, a federal grand jury in Arkansas has issued a 125 count indictment against 10 people for their roles in a scheme to bring foreign truck drivers into the US.  The essence of the allegations is that a program designed to train and recruit over the road truck drivers from Australia and New Zealand failed to obtain proper visas, resulting in illegal employment.

When the scheme was uncovered last spring, as many as 200 truck drivers were stuck in the US.  Many of them have now left or been deported, but about 20 remain on special visas allowing them to stay so they may testify at the coming trial.  Authorities believe that those who ran the scheme made as much as $14.6 million from it.

Each of the individual counts in the indictment carries a maximum penalty of 10 to 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000 to $500,000.  Only two of those indicted are believed to be in the US; the remaining eight will be extradited from Australia and New Zealand.

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