A California trucking company owner pleaded guilty to a $2.1 million fraud scheme involving nearly 100 stolen identities. Hasan Korkmaz, 45, of Las Vegas, operated San Diego Logistics Group Inc. in Santee, California. Federal prosecutors detailed how he processed fraudulent credit card transactions through several businesses, including his trucking operation. Individual charges reached $18,500, ultimately causing more than $2,103,000 in losses across two banks.
Korkmaz admitted to all 18 counts involving bank fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft on October 15. The operation ran during 2022 and 2023, using personal information belonging to real individuals. Prosecutors traced proceeds into financial accounts he controlled in Turkey. Korkmaz remained overseas for approximately 18 months before returning to the United States, where authorities arrested him in June 2025.
How the credit card scheme worked
Korkmaz obtained names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and other identifying information to open numerous fraudulent credit card accounts. Prosecutors described the operation as a credit card “bust-out” scheme. The method involves establishing accounts under stolen identities and exhausting available credit without intending to repay the balances. He also submitted checks from nonexistent accounts or those lacking sufficient funds, temporarily restoring credit limits for additional purchases.
San Diego Logistics Group was among the businesses that processed the fraudulent credit card charges. Some individual transactions reached $18,500. Prosecutors did not identify the services associated with those payments. Court filings cited in the DOJ announcement do not establish whether the transactions involved actual freight shipments.
Federal records reveal trucking company’s operating history
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records identify San Diego Logistics Group Inc. under USDOT 3210732 and MC 1002578. The company reported three trucks, five CDL drivers and 2,948,000 miles traveled in 2022. Its registered cargo categories included general freight, refrigerated food, fresh produce, meat and U.S. mail. The figures came from the carrier’s November 2023 MCS-150 filing.
Divided among three trucks, the reported mileage equals approximately 983,000 miles per truck in one year. The American Transportation Research Institute reported an industry average of 78,863 miles per truck in 2022. That makes San Diego Logistics Group’s reported mileage more than 12 times the industry average. An inaccurate mileage filing or a larger fleet operating during 2022 could explain the discrepancy.
Neither explanation has been confirmed, and the mileage figures come from the carrier’s own filings. Its registered cargo categories also do not independently establish completed freight deliveries. For brokers, discrepancies like this highlight why carrier verification must go beyond checking operating authority. Federal records do not establish whether the mileage discrepancy had any connection to Korkmaz’s criminal conduct.
FMCSA granted the company’s common carrier authority on December 6, 2021. The agency initiated six involuntary revocation proceedings during 2022 and 2023, subsequently discontinuing each one. FMCSA commonly starts these proceedings when required insurance coverage lapses and may discontinue them after carriers restore compliance. Available records do not establish what triggered each action against San Diego Logistics Group.
Regulators ultimately revoked the company’s common carrier authority on January 2, 2024. Its current registration profile lists both common and broker authority as inactive. Insurance records show previous cancellations and no active primary liability coverage. Federal filings do not establish any connection between those regulatory issues and Korkmaz’s criminal conduct.
Sentencing scheduled for January
The indictment included 12 bank fraud counts, two money laundering charges and four aggravated identity theft offenses. Bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years per count. Money laundering carries up to 10 years per count under 18 U.S.C. Section 1957. Aggravated identity theft requires a mandatory consecutive two-year prison term. These statutory penalties do not establish the sentence Korkmaz will ultimately receive.
U.S. District Judge James E. Simmons Jr. scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2027, at 9 a.m. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Rookard are prosecuting case 25-cr-1405-JES. The Justice Department has not identified the banks or explained how Korkmaz obtained the victims’ information.
Why It Matters
A registered trucking company became part of a financial fraud operation that caused more than $2.1 million in losses. The case highlights the importance of examining company ownership, operating authority and financial activity when evaluating transportation businesses.
Click here for more articles on cargo theft and freight fraud by Phil Brink.
Nebraska deputies recover $250K stolen copper load 50 miles past Iowa destination – FreightWaves
Freight Fraud Awareness Day returns as strategic cargo theft reshapes trucking – FreightWaves
The post California trucking owner pleads guilty in $2.1M identity theft scheme appeared first on FreightWaves.