Former FMCSA employee pleads guilty to extortion charges

Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023:

Patrick Gorena, a former border investigator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has entered a guilty plea to extortion under color of law, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani in the Southern District of Texas.

As part of his plea, Gorena admitted that when auditing a trucking company, he did not report safety violations that would have exposed the company to potential fines and the loss of their DOT license. In return, Gorena demanded $3,500.

However, he ultimately accepted $2,000 from an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a representative of the trucking company.

Gorena, who was charged in November, faces up to 20 years in prison at an April 18 sentencing.

XPO (CCJ Top 250, No. 7) has announced the appointment of Ali Faghri as chief strategy officer, effective immediately.

Ali FaghriFaghri is responsible for XPO’s strategy and analysis of growth opportunities and oversees the company’s engagement with the investment community. He reports to Mario Harik, XPO’s chief executive officer.