Investigations

On September 21, 2009, Hugo Daniel Solana, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Newark, New Jersey, to one year probation and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment and a $500 fine in connection with his prior guilty plea for impersonating a Federal Motor Carrier Inspector. The Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) investigation determined that Mr. Solana owned a motor carrier consulting firm known as Redsol Safety Corporation (Redsol) in Union, New Jersey. Mr. Solana appeared at several trucking firms in the Newark, New Jersey, area where he displayed a gold badge, identified himself as a Inspector, and produced a business card bearing the DOT seal. He then threatened to arrest individuals for perceived motor carrier violations. Mr. Solana later returned and advised the victim companies that they could hire Redsol to resolve their motor carrier issues. During Mr. Solana’s interview by the DOT OIG case agent Mr. Solana identified himself as a DOT Inspector and produced a gold badge. He was later arrested by DOT OIG special agents and the badge was confiscated.