Three Convicted in Commercial Driver’s License Bribery Scheme
Three plead guilty in Louisiana CDL bribery scheme
Three people have pleaded guilty in a Louisiana bribery scheme that helped at least 124 applicants obtain commercial driver’s licenses without completing the training and testing required under federal and state rules.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced July 31 that Mahmoud Alhattab, Jonathan Parsons and Marline Roberts each pleaded guilty to one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. The pleas were entered July 29.
The defendants were among six people charged in an indictment announced in 2025. Prosecutors allege the operation bypassed key parts of Louisiana’s commercial driver licensing process, allowing applicants to receive CDLs they had not legitimately earned.
According to court filings and Alhattab’s plea, the scheme operated from August 2020 through February 2024. Alhattab, described by prosecutors as the operation’s leader and a local restaurant owner, admitted helping at least 124 people obtain CDLs through fraudulent means. Applicants paid him an average of approximately $5,000 for the credentials.
Testing and training requirements bypassed
The alleged operation targeted the three primary steps in the federally mandated CDL qualification process: the knowledge examination, entry-level driver training and the skills test.
Prosecutors said applicants were moved through the system using falsified test results and training records. Correct answers were entered at an Office of Motor Vehicles location, allowing applicants to receive passing scores without properly completing the required examination. Other records allegedly showed that applicants had completed training or testing they had not actually completed.
In his plea, Alhattab acknowledged that many applicants were not proficient in English. He said he would often alert OMV employees to the applicants’ language barriers, including by identifying them as having “No English.” The plea documents describe that information as part of the process used to help applicants move through the licensing system.
The case involves more than paperwork irregularities. A CDL authorizes a driver to operate large commercial vehicles, including tractor-trailers, buses and vehicles carrying specialized loads. The qualification process is intended to verify that drivers understand commercial motor vehicle regulations and can safely control the equipment they are licensed to operate.
For professional drivers and carriers, the case also highlights the importance of legitimate training and testing in a licensing system that affects interstate commerce. Drivers who earn a CDL through the normal process must demonstrate knowledge of safety rules and operating procedures and show the ability to perform required vehicle maneuvers.
Charges and potential penalties
Each of the three defendants pleaded guilty to one bribery count. The offense carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.
Alhattab, Parsons and Roberts are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28. Their final sentences will be determined by the court after consideration of the applicable sentencing rules and the facts in each case.
The broader indictment included allegations of conspiracy to commit honest-services wire fraud and additional bribery and wire-fraud counts against the defendants and three other people. The conspiracy and wire-fraud counts carry maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison, while the bribery counts carry a maximum of 10 years.
Federal prosecutors initially emphasized that an indictment is only an allegation and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The three recent guilty pleas resolve the charges to which Alhattab, Parsons and Roberts pleaded, while the case involving any remaining defendants proceeds according to the court’s schedule.
The alleged conduct ended in February 2024, but its significance extends beyond the individuals involved. Commercial drivers operate vehicles that can weigh tens of thousands of pounds and travel across state lines alongside the general public. A licensing system that issues credentials without verified training or testing can undermine confidence in the qualifications of every driver who follows the rules.
The guilty pleas provide the government’s first formal admissions in the case that applicants were steered through Louisiana’s CDL system using bribes, falsified records and improperly recorded test results. Sentencing hearings in October are expected to determine the criminal consequences for the three defendants.
