Former Hickory Foods employee sentenced for fraud

A Jacksonville man who defrauded Hickory Foods, the parent company of Bubba Burger, out of more than $900,000 will spend nearly three years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan sentenced David Dinsbeer, 37, to 33 months in prison, followed by a two-year term of supervised release. Dinsbeer will also pay $904,373 in restitution. Corrigan said the payments would start 60 days after Dinsbeer’s release and he will owe $100 per month.

In March, Dinsbeer pleaded guilty to 16 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.

Dinsbeer will remain free on bond until the Bureau of Prisons chooses the facility where he will serve.

Court records show the fraud occurred between January 2011 and May 2012. The investigation revealed Dinsbeer used phony supplier companies to bill for supplies that were never delivered. He then deposited the checks, which were issued on false invoices, into bank accounts for the phony companies, which he controlled.

Documents obtained by Action News this year show Dinsbeer defrauded the company alongside Richard Hollis, a former Bubba Burger executive who was later killed while changing a tire along I-95 in Glynn County.

Prosecutors said Hollis left the company in the summer of 2012, and shortly afterward, an investigation by a new chief financial officer revealed their crimes.

Hollis was killed in September. Police said they do not believe the murder is linked to the fraud case.

The fraud case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dale Campion.

WJAX