A trucking business owner from Trumbull was charged by the federal government with defrauding Amazon of more than $3 million, federal officials said.
A federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 13-count indictment charging Ameer Nasir, 24, with wire fraud, according to a news release Friday from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut and the FBI. Nasir was arrested Thursday and released on a $300,000 bond, the release said.
Amazon Logistics, a company subsidiary, contracts with various interstate trucking businesses to transport both empty and loaded trailers between cities, warehouses and fulfillment centers, officials said. Nasir registered 23 trucking businesses with Amazon Logistics, the U.S. Attorney said. One of the accounts was created in the name of his business, Pak Express Transport, LLC, but the others were created fraudulently using the names and identifying information of other trucking companies without the knowledge of those companies, the release said.
From December 2019 to February 2021, Nasir used these accounts to sign up for more than 1,000 transportation assignments with Amazon Logistics, manipulated information in Amazon Logistics’ transportation management system to misrepresent that he had completed trailer movements when he had not, and submitted fraudulent invoices to Amazon Logistics that were subsequently paid, the release said. Through this scheme, Nasir defrauded Amazon of more than $3 million, according to the U.S. Attorney.
Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum prison term of 20 years, according to the news release. The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from Amazon and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena L. Coronado, according to the news release said.
Source: ct post