Company responds to news of federal conspiracy charges of two employees.

Two Pilot Flying J sales employees pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal conspiracy charges for their role in what federal authorities are calling a large-scale scheme to defraud unsuspecting trucking companies, Cleveland Online reported.

In response to inquiries, Pilot Flying J spokesman Tom Ingram released a statement saying, “The statements released by the federal court today do not come as a surprise given what we’ve been learning in our own internal investigations, but are nonetheless disappointing. We want to assure our customers that we are taking every step to correct any wrongdoing that has occurred and to make certain that it does not happen again.”

The two employees charged are Arnold Ralenkotter, a regional sales director in Hebron, Ky., and Ashley Judd, an account representative in Knoxville, Tenn. Ralenkotter is reportedly cooperating with authorities, and was charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire frauds, while Judd was charged with conspiracy.

Ralenkotter and Judd are the first people charged in the two-year investigation of Pilot Flying J. Authorities built their case through secretly recorded conversations monitored by federal agents and confidential informants, Cleveland Online reported.