close
close

Former Willard mayor convicted of wire fraud and identity theft

A former Willard city councilman who also served as mayor was convicted in federal court Monday of one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Corey Hendrickson previously pleaded guilty to both counts and was sentenced to a total of three years in prison without parole by Judge Brian Wimes in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Hendrickson was also ordered to pay more than $318,000 in restitution, electronic court records show.

Before taking office as councilman, Hendrickson served as the city's mayor for three two-year terms, according to previous News-Leader reporting. He was first elected in April 2015, but then lost his fourth re-election to previous mayor Sam Snider in 2021. He took over as councilman in April 2022 and resigned the same day the federal charges were filed in late October.

The charges stem from Hendrickson's time as a fleet dispatcher at Prime Incorporated, a trucking company in Springfield. According to court documents, he stole money from the company from September 9, 2016, to August 17, 2021. In total, he embezzled nearly $300,000.

Because the period of embezzlement coincided with Hendrickson's term in office, some Willard residents called for a state audit of the city's finances. While the Willard City Council budgeted about $100,000 for the cost of the audit, it left it up to residents to request the audit rather than requesting it themselves.

What did Hendrickson do?

According to court documents filed with the indictment, all of Prime Inc.'s drivers had individual accounts and purchasing cards with ComData that provided them with money to purchase fuel for their trucks. The accounts were accessible through each driver's Social Security number. Hendrickson had access to the drivers' personal information and their ComData accounts.

Court documents show that Hendrickson used the drivers' names and social security numbers to access their accounts and withdraw money into his various personal bank accounts. It is estimated that Hendrickson made 1,078 fraudulent transactions and accessed the accounts of 500 different drivers during that five-year period.

He also wrote checks from the drivers' accounts to the Travel Center of America gas station in Strafford, which he then cashed for his personal expenses.

At the sentencing on Monday, one of the victims, William Ullom, addressed the judge and stressed that the damage caused by Hendrickson will forever jeopardize his future and that of his daughters.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney asked Hendrickson to serve 36 months in prison for the wire fraud charge and an additional 24 months for the identity theft charge.

“I don't know if this will ever stop, if the damage that Mr. Hendrickson has done will ever go away,” Carney said in his speech to the court.

Carney said if Ullom had not reported the crime to Springfield police, Hendrickson would never have been caught and would have continued to defraud people. Carney believed the total sentence of 60 months “could border on the generous” when the court considers the multitude of other charges that could have been brought, including money laundering or even possible tax fraud.

Hendrickson's attorney, Joseph Passanise, emphasized that he has no criminal record, is involved in the community through public office, and is cooperating during the court process to obtain a lighter sentence of just 24 months for identity theft.

“He lost everything,” Passanise said of Hendrickson’s job, his reputation in the community and the broken trust.

More: New mayor for Willard, Fair Grove city council elected in special election on Tuesday

In his statement, Hendrickson said he takes full responsibility for the damage he caused and apologizes to the innocent people he harmed.

Wimes landed in the middle of competing recommendations with a total sentence of three years, two years' probation and more than $318,000 in restitution. He said the psychological damage and impact on victims' financial security is “devastating” in such crimes. In addition to restitution, Hendrickson must also pay $200 in special levies and forfeit more than $290,000.

Hendrickson is allowed to turn himself in before 2 p.m. on Sept. 30. He has requested to be held at Yankton Federal Penitentiary, a minimum-security prison for men in South Dakota. Although Wimes said that request would be made, he could not guarantee that Hendrickson would be housed there.

Marta Mieze covers local politics for the News-Leader. Do you have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].

You may also like...