California Trucking Owner Admits $2.1M Fraud Using Stolen Identities

How did a California trucking company process $2.1 million in fraudulent charges?

Hasan Korkmaz, 45, pleaded guilty October 15 to 18 federal counts after running a $2.1 million fraud scheme through San Diego Logistics Group Inc., his Santee, California trucking operation. Korkmaz used nearly 100 stolen identities to open fraudulent credit card accounts, then maxed out the cards with no intent to repay. Individual transactions reached $18,500. The operation ran during 2022 and 2023, causing losses across two banks before federal prosecutors traced proceeds to financial accounts Korkmaz controlled in Turkey.

Korkmaz obtained names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and other identifying information to execute what prosecutors called a credit-card "bust-out" scheme. He opened accounts under stolen identities, exhausted available credit, then submitted checks from nonexistent accounts or accounts with insufficient funds to temporarily restore credit limits for additional purchases. San Diego Logistics Group was among the businesses that processed the fraudulent charges. Court filings do not establish whether the transactions involved actual freight shipments.

Korkmaz remained overseas for approximately 18 months before returning to the United States, where authorities arrested him in June 2025.

What the carrier's federal filings showed

FMCSA 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. Federal records do not establish whether the mileage discrepancy had any connection to Korkmaz's criminal conduct.

The carrier's regulatory history

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.

What Korkmaz faces at sentencing

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.

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 carrier verification matters beyond authority checks

For brokers, discrepancies like San Diego Logistics Group's mileage filing highlight why carrier verification must go beyond checking operating authority. A registered trucking company became part of a financial fraud operation that caused more than $2.1 million in losses. The case underscores the importance of examining company ownership, operating authority and financial activity when evaluating transportation businesses.

Brokers who vet carriers online typically review insurance certificates, operating authority and safety scores. Mileage filings, insurance lapses and involuntary revocation proceedings can surface red flags that authority status alone will not reveal. Up to 15% of trucking insurance certificates contain errors or omissions, adding another layer of verification brokers must navigate when onboarding new capacity.