Ahmed Mahgoub was the owner of F&A Transportation, based in Essex County, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. From 2016 through 2020, they secured contracts with school districts in Essex, Passaic, Morris and Union counties, Platkin said, totaling $3.5 million.
An investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability 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, Platkin said. They hired drivers before completion of criminal background checks or, in some instances, without any criminal background check at all, Platkin said.
The business owners falsified vehicle inspection forms to indicate their buses consistently passed required pre- and post-trip company inspections, Platkin said.
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, Platkin said.
In March, Mahgoub pleaded guilty to one count of false representation for a government contract, Platkin said. F&A co-owner Faiza Ibrahim has entered a pretrial intervention program on a charge of tampering with public records information, Platkin said.
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