BOSTON, Mass. — Marshall Siegel, one-time president of the former Independent Truck Owner-Operators Association, and his associate Marilyn Kriensky pleaded guilty Nov. 5 to bilking owner-operators out of more than $215,000 in an insurance and loan scheme.

Federal prosecutors accused the two of overcharging I-TOO members in a truck loan and insurance program. Siegel pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements to a federally insured bank. Kriensky pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for her role in the scam.

Both are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20 in the U.S. District Court in Boston. Although Siegel faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, federal sentencing guidelines will probably mean a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months, according to John Kiernan, a Boston attorney representing former I-TOO members in a class action lawsuit. The sentencing guidelines take into account factors such as Siegel’s prior record and the fact that he pleaded guilty. Kriensky will probably get probation, Kiernan says.

Siegel and Kriensky were indicted in 1997 on multiple counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements to a federally insured financial institution. The indictment alleged that Siegel, the self-appointed director of I-TOO since it was founded in 1980, and Kriensky swindled owner-operators who received bank loans to buy trucks under an I-TOO sponsored program. The loan amount included both the cost of the truck and the cost of the insurance for the five-year period of the loan. Siegel and Kriensky submitted loan documents to Firstar Bank of Sheboygan, Wis., that overstated the cost of the insurance. The bank sent the checks for the insurance directly to I-TOO, which paid the insurance and then pocketed the rest.

The class action lawsuit is still pending. Kiernan said he is particularly pressing the suit against Firstar Bank, because defendants are more likely to get restitution from the bank than they are from Siegel.