Louisiana operation securing Class A CDLs without test clearance nets six individuals in extensive roundup

In a significant development, six individuals, including Mahmoud Alhattab, a restaurant owner, have been indicted in Louisiana on federal charges for selling passing grades and approvals for Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs). The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced the indictments last week.

At the heart of the scheme was the exploitation of Louisiana law, which allowed portions of the CDL tests to be administered by third parties such as the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) and a truck driver training company. Alhattab allegedly bribed two employees of the OMV, Jenay Davis and Shakira Millien, to complete the knowledge tests necessary for a learner's permit on behalf of the applicants he was assisting.

The skills portion of the CDL test could only be acquired after a commercial learner's permit had been acquired. Alhattab is accused of bribing Christopher Bryan Burns, the owner of a truck driver training company, and Jonathan Parsons, who worked for Burns, to falsely report that the individuals passed the skills test in the Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS). Marline Roberts, an employee of Burns' company, entered false information into the CSTIMS system.

Burns, Davis, and Roberts were indicted on one count of bribery in a federally-funded program. Alhattab, Millien, and Parsons were charged with four counts of bribery in connection with a program funded by the federal government.

The indictment also reveals that three individuals (Individual-A, B, and C) are identified as having used Alhattab's services to obtain their class A CDL. These individuals paid approximately $6,500 for his services.

The conspiracy, which started no later than August 2020 and ran until February 2024, also involved the operators of the truck driving schools. The indictment lists the developments in the scheme, including the involvement of OMV employees Davis and Millien, and the operators of the truck driving schools Burns and Parsons.

The overall agency in charge of the testing process was the state's Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPSC). The servers operating CSTIMS, which is funded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), were not based in Louisiana, making any crimes connected to it an interstate offense.

Parsons told Roberts he would pay her $400 for reporting that an individual had passed the skills test. All six defendants were charged with at least one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.

The indictment notes that the servers operating CSTIMS were not based in Louisiana, making any crimes connected to it an interstate offense. This means the case could have implications beyond the state of Louisiana. The defendants are yet to enter pleas, and the case is ongoing.