Three more people have pleaded guilty in a bribery case that allowed more than 100 people to fraudulently obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Six people plead guilty to bribery charges in Louisiana
On September 2, 2026, Jenay Davis pleaded guilty to a bribery offense related to federally funded programs, 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 a bribery offense related to federally funded programs.
Mahmoud Alhattab, Jonathan Parsons, and Marline Roberts each pleaded guilty to a count of bribery in connection with federally funded programs in July 2026.
The crime of bribery in connection with federally funded programs is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of probation, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory special surcharge of $100.
How did the commercial driver’s license (CDL) bribery scheme work?
Authorities allege that Alhattab acted as the ringleader of the scheme, which allowed more than 100 CDL applicants to pay an average of $5,000 to bypass the written exam, initial driver training, and the road test.
“Between August 2020 and February 2024, Alhattab facilitated the fraudulent issuance of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to at least 124 people. During that time, Millien issued at least 108 commercial driver’s learning permits in exchange for payments from Alhattab. Additionally, during that period, Parsons facilitated the fraudulent issuance of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to at least 118 people by providing each of them with a fake training record, a fake practical exam record, or both. In early 2023, Roberts created false score sheets for Parsons on seven occasions. From August 2023 through January 2024, Burns helped at least 18 people fraudulently obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) by providing each of them with a false record of the skills test and, in some cases, false training records as well. “From March 2023 through February 2024, Davis issued at least 14 commercial driver’s learner’s permits in exchange for payments from Alhattab,” authorities stated.
To carry out the scheme, Alhattab bribed Millien and Davis, who were employees at the OMV office in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to take the written exams on behalf of the commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants.
Alhattab also bribed Parsons and Burns, who each ran truck driver training companies, to report in a federal database that the applicants had successfully completed training when, “in reality, no training had been provided.” As part of the scheme, Parsons and Burns also falsely reported that applicants had passed the practical test when they had not even taken it.
“Since many applicants were not fluent in English, Alhattab would sometimes inform Millien and Davis of the language barrier. For example, on one occasion he sent a text message to Davis stating that an applicant ‘is out [the OMV office] from obtaining his commercial driver’s license (CDL)” and “He doesn’t speak English,” which meant that the applicant did not speak English,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.
What do they have to say about this?
“The commercial transportation industry is a vital component of this country’s economy. Therefore, the competence and ability of professional drivers to operate these vehicles safely and knowledgeably on our streets and highways are essential to the well-being of all other drivers in our communities,” said David I. Courcelle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “With the sole purpose of satisfying their own greed, the perpetrators of this widespread fraud scheme ruthlessly endangered the lives of other drivers by allowing professional drivers—who were completely unprepared to safely navigate the dangers of the road—to drive on U.S. public roads. However, today’s convictions demonstrate the joint mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General for the Southern Region to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes and to keep U.S. roads safe for travelers.”
“All of the defendants in this case were willing to endanger the public by authorizing unqualified individuals to drive commercial vehicles,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office. “Our partners at the DOT’s OIG, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety’s Office of Motor Vehicles, and the Louisiana Office of the Inspector General helped us build a strong case for prosecution. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its unwavering support in our fight against dangerous fraud.”
“The convictions announced today highlight the serious danger posed by schemes that undermine the integrity of the commercial driver’s license issuance process. Deliberately circumventing the safety requirements mandated by the federal government is not only illegal, but it endangers all road users across our country,” said Joseph Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the Southern Region of the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Inspector General. “We will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to thoroughly investigate these schemes, dismantle them, and hold accountable those who endanger travelers for personal gain.”
