Wife of slain Texas trucking magnate now charged in massive fraud

A San Antonio woman convicted of killing her husband while chasing his mistress on a highway has been charged with felony fraud relating to the company they co-owned, Bill Hall Jr. Trucking.

Frances Hall, 59, provided false payroll information over a seven-year period to avoid more than $9 million in insurance premium payments while she was co-owner of the company with her late husband, Bill Hall Jr., a Thursday release from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) claims.

“Between 2009 and 2016, Frances Hall allegedly provided false payroll information to Texas Mutual Insurance Company and concealed payroll reports to get lower insurance premiums on their extensive gravel hauling business,” TDI said. “The scheme allowed the company and its owners to avoid more than $9 million in premium payments.”

Hall turned herself in to Bexar County, Texas, authorities Tuesday, more than a month after a warrant had been issued for her arrest. She is currently free on bond. 

She garnered national headlines in 2016 when she was convicted in the death of her husband of 32 years, Bill Hall Jr.

Together, the couple had built Bill Hall Jr. Trucking, which hauls gravel and other materials for road construction. The carrier is still active and doing business under the name of Iron Horse Transportation and Construction with a fleet of 44 trucks, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

In 2013, Frances Hall knocked her husband’s motorcycle off a San Antonio highway while she was chasing his mistress, who was in another vehicle on the same road. Bill Hall Jr. was following his mistress’s vehicle. Frances Hall said it was an accident.

Frances Hall was convicted of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2016. She received a two-year sentence — the lightest sentence possible — after jurors found she acted with “sudden passion.”

If convicted of felony fraud, she could face up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine. Frances Hall did not immediately respond to FreightWaves’ request for comment.

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