Former trooper sentenced for illegally accessing FMCSA database

An Alabama man was sentenced in federal court for illegally accessing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s database. Credentials obtained from his former law enforcement job were used to retrieve information.

According to federal court documents, Gary Scott Stratton was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $3,200 for unauthorized access to FMCSA’s database. Prosecutors charged Stratton in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.

From June 2018 to January 2019, Stratton knowingly and intentionally accessed computers of the U.S. Department of Transportation and FMCSA for commercial advantage and private financial gain, according to the indictment.

The U.S. DOT’s Office of Inspector stated that Stratton was working for a company that provided carrier consulting services in Alabama. According to an OIG news release, Stratton accessed FMCSA’s database by using credentials he obtained while employed as a trooper for the Alabama Highway Patrol.

Stratton was formerly charged for obtaining information by computer from a government computer on March 5. A plea agreement was immediately submitted, leading to Stratton’s sentencing on June 12.