Trucking Investigation Leads to Convictions, Including Murder

ALBANY, GA — The long arm of the law has caught up to two people in the U.S. in case that started with charges of violating federal trucking regulations, but expanded to include one person receiving a life sentence in prison for trying to kill a co-conspirator.

According to news releases from the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Transportation Department, on May 15, a federal court in Georgia granted a motion filed by federal prosecutors to dismiss charges against Devasko Lewis for conspiracy to criminally violate an imminent hazard out-of-service order issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The dismissal of the federal case was based upon the sentencing of Lewis on April 17 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a relative of a federal witness.

In January 2014, local prosecutors in Georgia charged Lewis with murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery. It was alleged he conspired with a hit man to murder his colleague Corey Daniels, a co-defendant in the IG’s federal investigation of conspiracy to violate the FMCSA imminent hazard order. Lewis was convicted in April.

Daniels earlier agreed to cooperate in the federal case against Lewis and shortly after an attempt was made on his life. Prosecutors claimed though Daniels was the actual target, but in a case of mistaken identity, his nephew was killed at Daniels’ residence.

The man hired to kill Daniels has since been convicted and is serving a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Prior to the murder, Lewis had expressed his displeasure with Daniels’ cooperation against him in the federal case, according to the IG’s office.

In October 2008, Devasko Lewis, doing business as Lewis Trucking Company, was placed under an order to cease all operations. The order was issued due to serious violations discovered during an FMCSA compliance review conducted after a fatal crash in Alabama that killed seven people.

However, Devasko Lewis, assisted by his half-brother Lacey Lewis, attempted to circumvent this order by continuing to operate two other companies, Eagle Transport and Eagle Trans.

Devasko Lewis also formed DDL Transport LLC, which was ultimately placed under another order.

In May 2012, Devasko Lewis pleaded guilty to violating the orders and was subsequently sent to jail for 90 days to be followed by 12 months supervised release.

At around the time he pleaded guilty and before his sentencing, Devasko Lewis obtained DOT numbers for Eagle Transport and Eagle Trans. using the identity of friends, including another coconspirator, Corey Daniels, and failing to reveal his involvement to FMCSA as owner and operator of the companies.

After reporting to federal prison in November 2012, Devasko Lewis with the assistance of Lacey Lewis, continued operating Eagle Trans. along with the assistance of Daniels.

Daniels was sentenced to 12 months of probation last October after he was convicted earlier.

On May 13, Lacey Lewis was sentenced to 24 months probation for conspiracy to violate an imminent hazard out-of-service order after he pleaded guilty in January, following being charged in May 2013.

 


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*