Former Willard mayor sentenced for fraud scheme at Prime

Courtesy city of Willard

Corey Hendrickson

Corey Hendrickson, former mayor and alderman of the city of Willard, has been sentenced for a nearly $300,000 fraud scheme involving trucking company Prime Inc., his previous employer.

Hendrickson, 46, of Springfield, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to three years in federal prison without parole and ordered to pay $298,737 in restitution, according to a news release from the office of Teresa A. Moore, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

While working at Prime as a fleet dispatcher, Hendrickson conducted a fraud scheme from September 2016 to August 2021, federal prosecutors say. He pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The fraud scheme involved stealing funds from more than 500 truck drivers who worked for Prime, according to the release. Hendrickson admitted that he gained unauthorized access to the victims' fuel expense accounts and directed funds to his personal bank accounts.

The scheme reportedly involved Hendrickson using his computer access to steal the identity information of drivers. The victims' losses ranged between less than $100 to $6,495, with an average loss of a few hundred dollars, federal officials say.

Springfield law firm Wampler & Passanise PC, which represented Hendrickson in the case, provided a statement on his behalf.

“Corey Hendrickson realized the significant harm that he caused many individuals and expressed sincere regret for the pain and suffering caused and recognized the loss of trust his actions created," said Joseph S. Passanise, managing partner of the law firm, in the release. "Corey told the court he knows he must earn back the trust of others through his actions moving forward, not just his words."