Cleveland Browns owner facing class-action lawsuit

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is facing a class-action lawsuit for fraud. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images) A Georgia trucking company called Atlantic Coast

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is facing a class-action lawsuit for fraud. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

A Georgia trucking company called Atlantic Coast Carriers is suing Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's family business, Pilot Flying J. Atlantic Coast Carriers claim that the company was duped by Haslam's salespeople in a "rebate program for fuel," per Cleveland.com.

From Cleveland.com:

Atlantic Coast Carriers, a tiny trucking company in Hazlehurst, Ga., says in the suit that Pilot Flying J “has benefited from inaccurate rebate procedures for certain clients, including Atlantic Coast and several other clients.’’ The suit, filed in Knox County, Tenn., Circuit Court on Saturday, alleges Haslam’s company “derived funds from a pattern of racketeering activity.’’

The lawsuit was filed after the FBI raided the homes of Pilot salespeople and offices to gather information about the company's fuel rebate program.

The suit claims that Haslam's company worked to manually reduce the money due to Atlantic Coast and other companies, to increase Pilot's profits and sales commissions of its salespeople.

In an affidavit seeking a federal judge's permission to search properties, an FBI agent working in public corruption and white-collar crime stated that Haslam knew about the fraud for years. The document states that Pilot defrauded multiple trucking companies to the tune of several millions of dollars.