Raritan NJ
1-24-2025 6:52pm

Essex School Bus Company Owner Gets Five Years in Prison for Hiring Unqualified Drivers

TRENTON — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) today announced the sentencing of the owner of an Essex County-based school bus company that failed to perform drug tests and background checks on drivers — one of whom later crashed — as well as operating unsafe buses and trying to cover up the misconduct.

The sentencing of Ahmed Mahgoub, 65, of East Hanover, New Jersey, was handed down by Judge Mark Ali, Essex County Criminal Division Presiding Judge, in New Jersey Superior Court, Essex Vicinage.

Mahgoub was sentenced to five years in state prison, in accordance with the terms of a plea agreement the defendant had reached with the OPIA Corruption Bureau. Judge Ali also ordered Mahgoub and his company, East Orange-based F&A Transportation, Inc., to pay a combined $500,000 in corruption profiteering penalties, while both Mahgoub and F&A Transportation were banned from doing business with the State of New Jersey or its administrative or political subdivisions for a decade.

“The defendant not only flouted government regulations and standards, he risked the lives of children by cutting corners,” said Attorney General Platkin. “He now will serve a substantial term in prison.”

“The defendant skirted quality controls and oversight designed to ensure that qualified and trustworthy drivers were taking children to and from school each day,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA. “Those safety requirements are there for good reason, and circumventing them is unacceptable, as this sentence illustrates.”

Mahgoub and F&A had pleaded guilty on March 6, 2024 to one count of false representation for a government contract (2nd degree). In connection with this case, F&A co-owner Faiza Ibrahim, 50, also of East Hanover, has now entered the pretrial intervention program on a charge of tampering with public records or information (3rd degree), including a 10-year ban from doing business with the State and a $75,000 corruption profiteering penalty.

Based on documents filed in the case and statements made in court, an investigation by OPIA and the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau revealed criminal conduct related to contracts F&A secured from 2016 through 2020 with public school districts in Essex, Passaic, Morris, and Union counties. Those contracts had a combined value of approximately $3.5 million.

The investigation revealed the defendants knowingly hired drivers who did not hold valid commercial driver’s licenses or required license endorsements, as well as drivers who had criminal histories, known substance abuse problems, and suspended licenses. They hired drivers before completion of criminal background checks or, in some instances, without any criminal background check at all.

The investigation further revealed that the business owners falsified vehicle inspection forms to indicate their buses consistently passed required pre- and post-trip company inspections. Those forms must be maintained for review by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and are relied upon by school districts as proof of bus safety.

Despite the defendants’ indications that their buses consistently passed company inspections, in February and August 2019, the MVC inspected F&A’s buses — and nearly all of the company’s buses failed on both occasions.

Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Frank Valdinoto prosecuted the case for OPIA, under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Co-Director Jeffrey Manis and OPIA Executive Director Skinner.

Defense counsel:

For Mahgoub: Sebastian Bio, Esq., of Bio & Laracca, P.C., City of Orange, New Jersey

For F&A: Joseph Scura, Esq., Morristown, New Jersey

For Ibrahim: Marvin Hammerman, Esq., of Hammerman Rosen LLP, Fairfield, New Jersey

More News from Raritan
I'm interested
I disagree with this
This is unverified
Spam
Offensive