A logistics company employee and a trucking company owner were sentenced on April 3 to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to a scheme involving fake transportation invoices related to the Port of Savannah.
Philip Charles Smith, 41, of Richmond Hill, Georgia, received a sentence of 27 months in prison with three years of supervised release. Antonio J. Evans Sr., 41, of Sylvania, Georgia, was sentenced to 13 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Both pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Smith and Evans to pay $821,899 in restitution for losses caused by their actions over three years.
"Private companies that serve the transportation needs for the Port of Savannah, like all companies, deserve to expect honesty and integrity from their employees and service providers," said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. "Meg" Heap for the Southern District of Georgia. "Philip Smith betrayed the trust of his employer in order to funnel fake work to Antonio Evans so the two of them could line their pockets, and they’re now being held accountable for their dishonesty."
According to court documents and testimony, Smith worked at a national logistics company serving the port while Evans owned a local trucking business that contracted with Smith’s employer as a licensed carrier. Between July 2021 and August 2024, Smith used his position at the company to create false freight-hauling jobs assigned directly to Evans’ firm; payments were then made by the company for work that never occurred, with Evans sharing some proceeds back with Smith.
Brad Snider, Senior Supervisory Resident Agent at FBI Georgia’s Savannah office said: "Schemes like this exploit positions of trust and undermine the integrity of critical supply chain operations supporting the Port of Savannah... The FBI is committed to holding accountable those who use fraud and deception for personal gain." The investigation was conducted by FBI agents in collaboration with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darron J. Hubbard and L. Alexander Hamner.
