FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JANUARY 11, 2007	(713) 567-9301
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/TXS

SENTENCING OF GLOBAL LIMO, INC. AND OWNER

(McALLEN, TX) United State Attorney Don DeGabrielle Jr. announced the sentencing of James H. Maples, the owner of Global Limo, who was given 5 years probation and a fine of $10,000.000 after a jury found him guilty of violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations in October, 2006. As conditions of probation, Maples is required to spend six months in a halfway house, followed by six months home confinement. The court also ordered that Maples could not be employed by any transportation company during his term of probation without consent of the court. In addition, the company formed by Maples under the name Global Limo was given a $100,000.00 fine.

Global Limo, Inc., a Pharr, TX passenger bus company, and its owner, James H. Maples, 65, were convicted in October, 2006 for circumventing safety regulations. The charges against Global Limo and Maples consisted of three counts each of conspiracy to circumvent safety regulations by falsifying driver time records, failing to inspect their buses to ensure safe operation, and failing to require daily vehicle inspection reports. The jury found Global Limo guilty on all counts, and convicted the owner, Maples, of two of the three counts.

According to the testimony at trial, between May 6, 2005 and July 9, 2005, Global Limo routinely assigned two drivers to one bus with no sleeper berth for long cross-country trips. When not driving, the co-driver traveled in one of the passenger seats and falsely classified himself/herself as “off duty,” instead of the appropriate “on-duty not driving” classification required by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. The false claims of “off duty” status created the appearance that the drivers were obtaining the minimum rest hours required by FMCSA after (15) hours of on-duty time. Instead, the drivers were forced to drive long stretches of time without appropriate rest to comply with the travel schedules required by Global Limo. Global Limo maintained the false statements in their records for, among other things, FMCSA inspection.

Both Maples and his passenger bus company were convicted by the jury of knowingly and willfully failing to inspect and maintain Global Limo buses between May 2005 and August 24, 2006, thus failing to ensure safe and proper operating condition of its buses at all times. Evidence at trial proved the passenger buses were poorly maintained and placed in service with significant mechanical problems, including but not limited to inadequate brakes and compromised steering.

The jury also found that Maples and Global Limo knowingly and willfully failed to require Global Limo bus drivers to complete driver vehicle inspection reports at the end of the work day between the same May to August 2006 time period. These daily vehicle inspections are intended to identify any problems affecting the safe operation of the buses and to effect timely repair. During trial, the United States presented evidence which proved few of these reports were maintained in Global Limo files. Additionally, the evidence proved that problems cited on the few that did exist were not repaired.

The investigation leading to the filing of criminal charges against Global Limo, Inc and James Maples was the result of the combined efforts of the Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The trial in the case was handled by Special Assistant United States Attorneys John Kinchen and Juan Alanis.

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