WASHINGTON — Federal criminal investigations like the one that led to Monday’s raid on the Pilot Flying J headquarters in West Knoxville often involve complicated financial matters that can sometimes take years to untangle, experts say.
“It’s just a big octopus,” said Jim Deater, a former investigator who is now the law enforcement education coordinator at American Military University in Charles Town, W.Va. “Those types of cases are probably the hardest cases to investigate in that they are just very complex.”
Dozens of FBI and IRS agents armed with search warrants swooped down earlier this week on the company, which operates travel centers and travel plazas across North America. Investigators have not disclosed the nature of the probe, but Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam said the investigation apparently is focusing on claims the company did not pay rebates to certain customers.
Read more at the Knoxville News Sentinel.