The former president of the nation’s largest fuel retailer convicted of defrauding customers of more than $23 million is seeking to delay his sentencing, citing faulty math.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Wednesday that Mark Hazelwood is set to be sentenced Aug. 22 for his part in a five-year fraud scheme that shorted trucking companies.
Continue Reading Below
Hazelwood’s new defense team argues that they need three months to challenge external audits tallying fraud by Hazelwood and other employees. They say the company paid trucking customers that claimed fraud regardless of whether the claim could be proved, thereby inflating the fraud attributed to Hazelwood.
Hazelwood fired his defense team earlier this year, blaming the lead attorney for his conviction. Case Judge Curtis L. Collier has repeatedly said he wouldn’t delay sentencing.
___
Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com
