Three Plead Guilty in Bribery Scheme That Enabled Over 100 Drivers to Fraudulently Obtain Commercial Driver’s Licenses

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced the July 29, 2026, guilty pleas of three defendants who participated in a bribery scheme that enabled over 100 people to fraudulently obtain commercial driver's licenses. The three defendants- MAHMOUD ALHATTAB, JONATHAN PARSONS, and MARLINE ROBERTS-each pleaded guilty to one count of Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666.

ALHATTAB, a local restaurant owner, admitted to being the ringleader of a scheme in which CDL applicants each paid him on average approximately $5,000 to receive unearned CDLs. The scheme allowed applicants to bypass each of the three main federally-mandated steps of the CDL qualification process-knowledge testing, entry-level driver training, and skills testing.

The knowledge test is a written test that must be passed at the Office of Motor Vehicles office, and includes questions on vehicle safety systems, emergency situations, procedures for various maneuvers, and extreme driving conditions. Passing the knowledge test results in the issuance of a commercial learner's permit, which is a prerequisite for the training and the skills test.

According to court documents, ALHATTAB admitted that, to defeat the knowledge test requirement, he bribed two employees of a Donaldsonville, Louisiana OMV office. Typically, ALHATTAB would provide an OMV employee, via cell phone messaging, with a photograph of the applicant's driver's license and he would identify any desired endorsements, such as a school bus endorsement. Next, the OMV employee would enter correct knowledge test answers for the applicant. Finally, ALHATTAB would bring the applicant to the Donaldsonville OMV office where the OMV employee would confer a commercial learner's permit upon the applicant based on the falsified knowledge test scores. ALHATTAB paid the two OMV employees in cash, and he also provided them with meals. As part of his guilty plea, ALHATTAB admitted that the OMV employees allowed him to bring applicants into the OMV office through a non-public side door and allowed him to enter non-public parts of the OMV office. Sometimes ALHATTAB personally operated the OMV camera to take an applicant's photograph for the commercial learner's permit.

After passing the knowledge test and obtaining a commercial learner's permit, most CDL applicants are required to complete entry-level driver training. This training includes demonstrating proficiency while operating a commercial vehicle on a public road.

ALHATTAB admitted that, to defeat the training requirement, he bribed two men who operated truck driver training businesses. One of these men was defendant PARSONS. Typically, ALHATTAB would send PARSONS a photograph of an applicant's commercial learner's permit via cell phone messaging. This would provide PARSONS with the information needed to generate false training records. As part of his guilty plea, PARSONS admitted that, in exchange for payments from ALHATTAB, he reported in a federal database that applicants successfully completed training when, in truth, they did not train at all.

After completing training, the final major step in the CDL process is passing the skills test. The skills test is administered by state-authorized examiners, who are agents of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. As required by federal regulations, Louisiana's skills test is comprised of: pre-trip vehicle inspection skills, which includes identifying each safety-related vehicle part and explaining what needs to be inspected to ensure the part's safe operating condition; basic vehicle control skills, which includes demonstrating of a variety of driving maneuvers and behaviors; and safety-related on-road driving skills, which also includes demonstrations.

ALHATTAB admitted that, to defeat the skills test requirement, he bribed PARSONS and the other business operator, both of whom, in addition to being trainers, were certified by Louisiana to administer the skills test. As part of his guilty plea, PARSONS admitted that he falsely reported to the State that applicants had passed the skills test when, in truth, the applicants did not take the test. Early in the scheme, ALHATTAB would sometimes pose as the applicant and drive the commercial vehicle used for testing so that it would appear that PARSONS was administering a skills test to a CDL applicant. However, ALHATTAB and PARSONS eventually decided that this precaution was unnecessary and, thereafter, PARSONS routinely entered skills tests without ALHATTAB or the applicant appearing at the test site. On some occasions, PARSONS paid another skills test examiner, defendant ROBERTS, to assist in the scheme. As part of her guilty plea, ROBERTS admitted to creating phony score sheets to corroborate PARSONS's false test reports.

After a CDL applicant received false skills test scores, ALHATTAB would typically inform an OMV employee that the applicant was returning to the Donaldsonville OMV office to get the CDL. As part of his guilty plea, ALHATTAB acknowledged that many of the applicants were not proficient in the English language and, therefore, he sometimes advised the OMV employees of language barriers. For example, on one occasion, ALHATTAB texted an OMV employee that an applicant "is outside [the OMV office] to get his CDL" and "No English," meaning that the applicant did not speak English.

As part of their guilty pleas, ALHATTAB and PARSONS admitted that they texted about their shared desire to increase the number of applicants involved in the scheme. For example, in January 2021: ALHATTAB informed PARSONS that ALHATTAB currently had approximately 20 persons seeking CDLs and that "[t]his year it will be a good year," to which PARSONS replied, "Heck yeah"; ALHATTAB texted PARSONS, "I have to[o] many" applicants to which PARSONS replied, "That's a good thing"; and PARSONS texted "Keep them coming!" to which ALHATTAB replied, "Will do."

ALHATTAB admitted that from about August 2020 through February 2024 he caused at least 124 people to fraudulently receive CDLs. PARSONS admitted that from about August 2020 through February 2024 he 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 types of false entries. ROBERTS admitted that on seven occasions in early 2023 she created false scoring sheets to assist PARSONS in making false skills test reports.

The offense to which these three defendants pleaded guilty, Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds, is punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment, up to three years' supervised release following imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and a $100 special assessment fee. Sentencing for these three defendants is scheduled for October 28, 2026.

Other defendants charged in the indictment are awaiting trial. U.S. Attorney Courcelle reiterated that the indictment as to those defendants is merely a charge and that each defendant's guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Transportation - Office of Inspector General investigated this case.

U.S. Attorney Courcelle thanked the Louisiana State Office of Inspector General and Louisiana Public Safety Services for their valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chandra Menon of the Public Integrity Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ("Fraud Division"). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

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