The FBI/IRS raid of Pilot Flying J headquarters...

[Creek Walker]

Given the black cloud that has been hanging over our athletics programs for the past five years, would anyone be surprised if it were revealed that the Haslams were involved in some sort of federal brouhaha and it's somehow tied into the UTAD?  

[Screaming Eagle Dad]

Yep, that would sure help a lot...NOT!!!! On the other hand it could hurt Governor Haslam...

[Hollerboy]

An article stated that IRS agents were involved....must be some sort of tax issue.  Probably be settled out of court.

[midtnvol]

Didn't they take a hit on price gouging (gas) a few years ago? Wonder if it's related.

[Creek Walker]

Didn't they take a hit on price gouging (gas) a few years ago. Wonder if it's related.

They settled out of court on civil suits in TN and 2 other states, if I recall correctly. That was 2008 or 2009. I believe the official story was that they weren't guilty of price-gouging but settled to avoid the drawn-out court process...which may very well be the truth.

[101stDad]

It's about a rebate plan that Flying J does with its best trucking company customers.  

It smells a lot like the bogus Gibson Guitar raid of a couple of years back.  

[Creek Walker]

I'm surprised that none of the talking heads have pointed out that Gov. Haslam announced two weeks ago that he is rejecting Obamacare's Medicaid expansion for TN, and two weeks later the feds raid his family's company. 

[RIPLEYVOL]

I'm with you Creek........things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[midtnvol]

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/fox-sports-networks/story/Court-documents-detail-lengthy-fraud-all?blockID=893807&feedID=3725

[SmokeyJoe]

Face it. The Haslams are as crooked as the day is long. More evidence that corruption & abuse from the top, down is the problem in this country. Wealth accumulation = "good" by any means necessary. How much of this goes without being caught? Plenty, and then some! Maybe this rotten family is that dark cloud hanging over UT.

[SmokeyJoe]

How much money do these people need? My God.

[SmokeyJoe]

This thread is destined to be moved anyway. Let's all just blame somebody getting a snickers bar with their ebt, or social security disability, or the earned income tax credit for our countries woes. Good old reverse class envy. It is as plan as the noses on our faces where the problem is throughout our system of economy. A perfect example of why business must have oversight. Oh well... Let's all look to blame anybody, or thing, BUT the culprit... Greed from the top, down.

[Creek Walker]

This thread is destined to be moved anyway. Let's all just blame somebody getting a snickers bar with their ebt, or social security disability, or the earned income tax credit for our countries woes. Good old reverse class envy. It is as plan as the noses on our faces where the problem is throughout our system of economy. A perfect example of why business must have oversight. Oh well... Let's all look to blame anybody, or thing, BUT the culprit... Greed from the top, down.

I thought the thread was probably safe until you decided to go on a socialist rant. 

[Creek Walker]

Face it. The Haslams are as crooked as the day is long.

If these allegations are true, anyone involved should suffer the consequences. And it's difficult to imagine a scenario where Jimmy Haslam didn't have knowledge of it and allow it to continue.

But I've heard nothing but good things about Bill Haslam and old man Haslam. Neither have been implicated in this and neither was involved in the day-to-day operations of Pilot during the time period in question. Casting the same net over the entire family is premature.

[101stDad]

Bullshizzle, Joe.  Let's let this thing play out before you bring out the hangman's noose.  

The Haslam family has provided tens of thousands of good paying jobs to Tennesseans and beyond, they have given literally hundreds of millions of dollars to more colleges, universities, public elementary, middle and high schools, and charities than you can count.  

Until they are convicted in a court of law, they get the benefit of the doubt from me.  

[SmokeyJoe]

I thought the thread was probably safe until you decided to go on a socialist rant. 

An American rant.

[Quasi EVol]

Bullshizzle, Joe.  Let's let this thing play out before you bring out the hangman's noose. 

The Haslam family has provided tens of thousands of good paying jobs to Tennesseans and beyond, they have given literally hundreds of millions of dollars to more colleges, universities, public elementary, middle and high schools, and charities than you can count. 

Until they are convicted in a court of law, they get the benefit of the doubt from me. 

Yeah, when gas was $5+ a gallon, they were bending everybody over the stump along with everybody else.  And his punishment was being elected governor.  I guess some people like it that way.

[Creek Walker]

Yeah, when gas was $5+ a gallon, they were bending everybody over the stump along with everybody else.  And his punishment was being elected governor.  I guess some people like it that way.

That's nonsense. Gas prices aren't set by people like Pilot. Gas prices are set by the refining companies and are in large part dictated by the oil futures market. I don't like high gas prices either (it was never close to $5/gallon in Tennessee) and, frankly, I think the companies like Exxon are largely to blame by artificially limiting supply in order to drive up prices. But none of that is an indictment of the suppliers like Pilot. What should they have done? Cut out their profits? They're a for-profit business; it isn't how they work. And although I think Bill Haslam has been a poor governor, he hasn't been at Pilot in quite some time -- since well before the gas prices spiked.

I agree with 101stDad. If Jimmy Haslam is guilty, he should pay the price. But they've been a huge asset to Knoxville and UT. They've always had open pockets when it come to charitable causes. For that, they're hated by people like SmokeyJoe simply because they're successful. That's what makes socialist-minded people like Smokey tick: hate business people, no matter what. Because they're evil.

[Quasi EVol]

Haslam's already paid the price in 2009:  Pilot settled for its Hurricane Ike price gouging, so there goes your theory about who sets gas prices.

[Creek Walker]

First of all, Pilot settled for $100,000. That's chump change; a small price to pay to avoid a trial. They would've spent more than that on legal fees alone had it gone to trial. Any company will settle under those circumstances, and it doesn't mean that Pilot is guilty of price-gouging. In fact, Pilot issued a statement after the settlement in which the company maintained its innocence.

Regardless, the aftermath of a major event -- like a hurricane -- and day-to-day operations are two completely different animals. Anyone with any economics knowledge at all knows that the convenience stores and gas stations aren't the ones who set the prices. When and if they DO attempt to artificially jack up prices, they're charged with price-gouging, as we saw alleged at 7 of Pilot's 23 stores in Kentucky in '09. When gas was at its peak of $4/gallon, if Pilot was still selling for $3/gallon (instead of "bending us over like the rest," as you say), they would've been losing money hand-over-fist. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that losing money isn't in their best interest.

[Quasi EVol]

They have to answer to their shareholders if they decide to sell at a loss, but I agree $100K is chump change for fleecing evacuees in a weather emergency.