Six Plead Guilty in Bribery Scheme Granting 100+ Unqualified Applicants CDLs

Six Plead Guilty in Louisiana Bribery Scheme That Helped More Than 100 Applicants Obtain Fraudulent CDLs

Six people have pleaded guilty in a Louisiana bribery scheme that allowed at least 124 applicants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses without completing required testing and training, according to federal prosecutors.

The scheme operated through the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles office in Donaldsonville and involved bribed OMV employees, truck driver training business operators and an intermediary who arranged payments. Prosecutors said applicants paid an average of about $5,000 to bypass portions of the CDL qualification process.

The conduct occurred from August 2020 through February 2024. Each defendant pleaded guilty to one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.

Six defendants entered guilty pleas

Jenay Davis pleaded guilty on Sept. 2, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Christopher Bryan Burns and Shakera Millien pleaded guilty on Sept. 9.

Mahmoud Alhattab, Jonathan Parsons and Marline Roberts entered guilty pleas in July 2026. Federal officials described Alhattab as a central figure in the operation.

The bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and a mandatory $100 special assessment.

How the CDL process was bypassed

According to prosecutors, Alhattab recruited applicants and arranged payments to individuals who could manipulate or falsify records in the licensing system.

Millien and Davis, who worked at the Donaldsonville OMV office, issued commercial learner’s permits and completed knowledge tests on behalf of applicants in exchange for payments from Alhattab. Millien was linked to at least 108 fraudulent permits, while Davis was linked to at least 14 permits issued between March 2023 and February 2024.

Prosecutors said Alhattab also bribed Parsons and Burns, who operated truck driver training businesses. The two reported in a federal database that applicants had completed required entry-level driver training even though no training had occurred. They also entered false information indicating that applicants had passed the CDL skills test when they had not taken it.

Parsons admitted causing at least 118 people to obtain fraudulent CDLs through false training records, skills-test entries or both. Burns was linked to at least 18 people who received fraudulent CDLs between August 2023 and January 2024.

Roberts allegedly created false score sheets for Parsons on seven occasions in early 2023. Those documents helped support fraudulent skills-test records.

Prosecutors also said some applicants did not speak English. In one example cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Alhattab told Davis that an applicant was outside the OMV office to get a CDL and did not speak English.

Why the case matters to truck drivers

A commercial driver’s license is intended to show that a driver has demonstrated the knowledge and skills needed to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely. The process includes written knowledge testing, entry-level driver training and a skills test covering areas such as vehicle inspection and on-road operation.

When those requirements are bypassed, other drivers and the public cannot rely on the licensing system to confirm that a CDL holder has received the required preparation. The scheme also creates an unfair advantage over drivers and motor carriers that follow the rules and invest time and money in legitimate training.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana David I. Courcelle said commercial transportation is vital to the nation’s economy, but that drivers must be competent and fit to operate safely on public roads. He said the defendants placed other motorists at risk by allowing inadequately prepared drivers to receive authorization to operate commercial vehicles.

FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp said the defendants endangered the motoring public by providing unqualified applicants with commercial driving credentials. The investigation involved the FBI, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, the Louisiana OMV and the Louisiana Office of Inspector General.

Joseph Harris, special agent in charge of the DOT Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region, said the convictions demonstrate the risks created when federally mandated safety requirements are deliberately circumvented.

Sentencing and continuing investigation

At least some of the defendants are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28, according to the information provided by federal prosecutors. The investigation remains ongoing.

The case highlights the role that accurate training records, testing and licensing data play in commercial vehicle safety. For professional drivers, the integrity of those records affects not only who is legally permitted to operate a truck, but also the public’s confidence in the CDL system and in the trucking industry as a whole.