A Louisiana bribery scheme placed at least 124 people on U.S. roads with commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) they never earned, bypassing the federally mandated knowledge test, entry-level driver training and skills examination, according to FreightWaves. Three defendants pleaded guilty July 29 to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, the freight news outlet reported.
How the scheme worked
Federal prosecutors said Mahmoud Alhattab, a local restaurant owner, led the scheme. CDL applicants paid him an average of about $5,000 for unearned credentials, according to FreightWaves. The operation ran from August 2020 through February 2024.
Alhattab admitted bribing two employees at a Donaldsonville, Louisiana, Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) location. He sent workers photographs of applicants' driver's licenses through cellphone messages, and his messages also identified requested endorsements, including school-bus credentials, court documents cited by FreightWaves show. OMV employees then entered correct knowledge-test answers for the applicants, and the office later issued commercial learner's permits based on the falsified scores.
Alhattab paid the two workers with cash and meals. Staff members allowed him to bring applicants through a nonpublic side entrance and to enter restricted sections of the building, the report said. Alhattab sometimes operated the OMV camera for learner-permit photographs.
The written knowledge examination covers vehicle safety systems, emergency situations, driving maneuvers and extreme road conditions, according to FreightWaves. A learner's permit must come before training and a skills examination under federal rules.
Fake training records and skills tests
Most CDL candidates must complete entry-level driver training after obtaining a learner's permit, including demonstrating proficiency while driving a commercial vehicle on public roads. Alhattab admitted bribing two truck-driver training business operators to avoid that requirement. One of those operators was defendant Jonathan Parsons.
Alhattab sent Parsons photographs of commercial learner's permits through cellphone messages. Parsons used that information to create false training records, prosecutors said. He admitted reporting successful completion in a federal database despite no actual instruction, which moved candidates toward the final licensing stage.
Louisiana requires commercial drivers to pass a skills examination covering pre-trip inspections, basic vehicle control and safety-related on-road driving. Parsons and another business operator held state certification to administer those evaluations. Alhattab admitted bribing both men to defeat the final requirement.
Parsons admitted reporting passing skills-test results to the state for people who never took examinations. Early in the operation, Alhattab sometimes drove the test vehicle while posing as an applicant to make it appear a legitimate evaluation occurred, according to FreightWaves. Parsons later entered results without Alhattab or the applicant appearing at the test site.
Defendant Marline Roberts worked as another skills-test examiner. She admitted creating seven phony score sheets during early 2023, records that supported Parsons' false reports, according to the Justice Department as cited by FreightWaves. Parsons paid Roberts to assist with the operation on some occasions.
Totals, charges and penalties
| Defendant | Role | Admissions |
|---|---|---|
| Mahmoud Alhattab | Scheme leader, restaurant owner | Caused at least 124 people to fraudulently receive CDLs |
| Jonathan Parsons | Truck-driver training operator and skills-test examiner | Caused at least 118 people to receive credentials through false training entries, test reports or both |
| Marline Roberts | Skills-test examiner | Created seven phony score sheets in early 2023 |
Alhattab admitted causing at least 124 people to fraudulently receive CDLs, according to FreightWaves. Parsons admitted causing at least 118 people to receive credentials through false training entries, test reports or both.
The three defendants face sentencing on Oct. 28. The offense carries up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and a $100 assessment, the report said.
The FreightWaves report names the FBI, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and Louisiana's Office of Inspector General and Public Safety Services in connection with the case.
At least 124 people fraudulently obtained commercial driver's licenses they did not earn, federal prosecutors said.
Implications for carriers and shippers
For freight operators, the case demonstrates that a CDL in hand does not prove the federally required qualification steps were completed. Court documents cited by FreightWaves show the scheme deliberately bypassed knowledge testing, entry-level driver training and skills testing — the three steps that form the federally mandated CDL qualification process. Carriers that employed drivers credentialed through this scheme may face compliance and safety exposures, since no actual instruction or testing occurred, according to the admissions summarized by FreightWaves.
Watch list
- Sentencing for all three defendants is scheduled for Oct. 28.
- The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General; any further federal or state action would follow the sentencing date.
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