Home Atlanta Press Releases 2009 Former Owner of Cisco Travel Plazas and Four Others Indicted in Multi-Million-Dollar Fuel Fraud and Bribery Conspiracy...
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Former Owner of Cisco Travel Plazas and Four Others Indicted in Multi-Million-Dollar Fuel Fraud and Bribery Conspiracy

U.S. Attorney’s Office September 10, 2009
  • Southern District of Georgia (912) 652-4422

SAVANNAH, GA—Joseph D. Newman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced today the unsealing of a 17-count indictment returned on September 2, 2009 by the federal grand jury sitting in Savannah, Georgia against Fairley Leslie Cisco, of St. Mary’s, Georgia; Robert Michael Clark, of Folkston, Georgia; Regina Dianne Cheung Pierce, of Folkston, Georgia; Winston Eric Cisco, of White Oak, Georgia; and Britt Clinton Moore, of Fernandina, Florida. Each defendant is charged with a conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371; and mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1341 and 1343. Defendant Fairley Cisco is also charged with criminal trademark infringement, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2320.

The indictment arose out of a joint federal and state investigation conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Kingsland Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations Division (IRS-CID). The investigation was directed by Brian Tanner and Jim Durham, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Southern District of Georgia.

According to the indictment, Fairley Cisco operated three fuel service stations (the “Cisco Stations”) in Camden County, Georgia, just off Interstate 95, near the Georgia-Florida border, from the mid-1990s until their sale in late 2006. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired: to miscalibrate the unleaded and diesel pumps at the Cisco Stations to deliver less fuel than customers believed they were purchasing; to substitute regular unleaded gasoline for premium and mid-grade gasoline at the Cisco Stations; to bribe inspectors with the Georgia Department of Agriculture in charge of inspecting fuel pumps at the Cisco Stations; to substitute and sell non-BP unleaded gasoline at the Cisco Station which displayed BP registered trademarks; and to make false statements to federal law enforcement officers investigating the alleged criminal activities. The indictment alleges that in the years 2005 and 2006 alone, customers of the Cisco Stations were defrauded out of at least $7 million.

Under count one, which charges a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy), the maximum statutory penalties include: not more than five years’ imprisonment; a fine of not more than $250,000; and not more than three years of supervised release. Under counts two through 16, which charge violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 (mail fraud) and 1343 (wire fraud), the maximum statutory penalties for each count include: not more than 20 years’ imprisonment; a fine of not more than $250,000; and not more than three years of supervised release. Under count 17, which charges a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2320 (criminal trademark infringement), not more than 10 years’ imprisonment; a fine of not more than $2,000,000; and not more than three years of supervised release.

Robert Michael Clark has been arrested on the charges in the indictment. Warrants remain outstanding for the arrests of Fairley Leslie Cisco and Winston Eric Cisco.

Mr. Newman stressed that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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