Three more people have pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme that allowed more than 100 people to fraudulently obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Six Plead Guilty To Bribery Charges In Louisiana
On September 2, 2026, Jenay Davis pleaded guilty to Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
On September 9, Christopher Bryan Burns and Shakera Millien also pleaded guilty to Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds.
Mahmoud Alhattab, Jonathan Parsons, and Marline Roberts each pleaded guilty to one count of Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds in July 2026.
The charge of Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
How Did The CDL Bribery Scheme Work?
Officials say Alhattab acted as a ringleader in the scheme that allowed more than 100 CDL applicants to pay an average of $5,000 to bypass the knowledge test, entry-level driver training, and the skills test.
“From August 2020 through February 2024, Alhattab caused at least 124 people to fraudulently receive CDLs. During that time, Millien issued at least 108 commercial learner’s permits in exchange for payments from Alhattab. Also, during that period, Parsons caused at least 118 people to fraudulently receive CDLs by providing each person with a false training entry, or a false skills test entry, or both. In early 2023, Roberts created false score sheets for Parsons on seven occasions. From August 2023 through January 2024, Burns caused at least 18 people to obtain fraudulent CDLs by providing each person with a false skills test entry, and, for some of them, also providing false training entries. From March 2023 through February 2024, Davis issued at least 14 commercial learner’s permits in exchange for payments from Alhattab,” officials said.
In order to accomplish the scheme, Alhattab bribed Millien and Davis, who were employees at the Donaldsonville, Louisiana OMV office to complete the knowledge tests on behalf of the CDL applicants.
Alhattab also bribed Parsons and Burns, each of whom operated a truck driver training business, to report in a federal database that applicants successfully completed training when, “in fact, no training occurred.” As part of the scheme Parsons and Burns also falsely reported that applicants had passed the skills test when they had not taken the test.
“Because many applicants were not proficient in English, Alhattab sometimes informed Millien and Davis of the language barrier. For example, on one occasion he texted Davis that an applicant “is outside [the OMV office] to get his CDL” and “No English,” meaning the applicant did not speak English,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
What Are They Saying?
“The commercial transportation industry is a vital component of this nation’s economy. As a result, the competency and fitness of commercial drivers to safely and knowledgeably operate those vehicles on our streets and highways, is vital to the welfare of all the other drivers in our communities,” said United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana David I. Courcelle. “Solely to satisfy their own greed, the perpetrators of this sweeping fraudulent scheme callously endangered the lives of other drivers by allowing commercial drivers, who were woefully unprepared to safely navigate travel hazards, to operate on America’s roadways. However, today’s convictions demonstrate the combined mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region, to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes and to keep American roads safe for commuters.”
“Every defendant in this case was willing to endanger the motoring public by giving unqualified people authorization to operate commercial vehicles,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “Our partners at the DOT-OIG, Louisiana Department of Public Safety Office of Motor Vehicles, and the Louisiana Office of Inspector General helped us build a strong case for prosecutors. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their unwavering support in our fight against dangerous fraud.”
“The convictions announced today underscore the grave danger posed by schemes that undermine the integrity of the commercial driver’s licensing process. Deliberately circumventing federally mandated safety requirements is not only unlawful—it puts everyone on our nation’s roadways at risk,” stated Joseph Harris, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General’s Southern Region. “We will continue working with our federal, state, and local partners to aggressively investigate these schemes, dismantle them, and hold accountable those who put the traveling public at risk for personal gain.”
