Prime Inc. dispatcher stole $300,000 from drivers’ ComData accounts
A former Prime Inc. dispatcher who also is a former mayor of a Missouri town pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from truckers’ fuel accounts.
On Oct. 24, Corey Hendrickson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in a Missouri federal court for a scheme he employed to steal approximately $300,000 from hundreds of truckers.
From September 2016 to August 2021, Hendrickson used his position as a Prime dispatcher to access and withdraw money deposited into the ComData accounts of Prime drivers, according to court documents. He would use a driver’s name and social security number to access accounts with a positive balance.
Using a wire transfer, Hendrickson deposited the funds into his various personal financial accounts. He wrote checks at the TravelCenter of America in Strafford, Mo., to withdraw the money for personal use.
Over the course of the scheme, Hendrickson made approximately 1,078 fraudulent transactions. In total, he accessed the ComData accounts of 500 different Prime drivers. Individual drivers lost anywhere between $100 to nearly $6,500, with the average loss being a few hundred dollars.
Hendrickson faces up to 20 years in prison. As of Monday, Nov. 6, a date for sentencing had not yet been scheduled.
Hendrickson’s involvement with local government
The Prime dispatcher’s case has caused a stir in his Missouri town.
Hendrickson was the mayor of Willard, Mo., from 2015 to 2021 before losing his seat to the current mayor, Sam Snider. After losing his bid for re-election, Hendrickson gained a seat on the Willard Board of Aldermen. He resigned from the board on the same day felony charges were filed against him in federal court.
According to the Springfield Daily Citizen, Hendrickson has been a “driving force” behind efforts to impeach Willard’s current mayor. An impeachment hearing was set to take place two days after Hendrickson pleaded guilty in his own case. However, Snider resigned just hours before the scheduled hearing.
The back-to-back resignations resulted in two vacancies on the Willard Board of Aldermen. LL
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