FMCSA inspector sentenced for taking bribes

A former Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration official in New York state has been sentenced in federal court to 18 months in prison for accepting bribes from trucking companies.

James H. Wood, 45, of Delevan, N.Y., former supervisor of the Buffalo office of the FMCSA, pleaded guilty in June to taking bribes from third parties working for Canadian trucking companies. In exchange he postponed safety audits, provided lists of Canadian companies scheduled for FMCSA inspections and information to be covered in inspections, and initiated favorable audits for those carriers and unfriendly audits for their competitors, according to court documents.

Wood also was ordered to forfeit $41,300.