WEST ORANGE, N.J. (WCBS 880) -- The owners of a New Jersey-based bus company have been indicted for allegedly providing false information to school districts to coverup hiring unqualified drivers and operating in unsafe conditions.
Ahmed Mahgoub, 63, his wife Faiza Ibrahim, 48 and their company F&A Transportation were indicted on charges of second-degree conspiracy, second-degree theft by deception, second-degree false representation for a government contract, third-degree tampering with public records and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with public records.
According to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, the investigation was in relation to contracts F&A had from 2016-2020 with districts in Essex, Passaic, Morris and Union counties. The contracts netted the company over $3 million.
Officials say the drivers knowingly hired drivers who didn't have a commercial driver's license, as well as those with criminal histories or were using illegal drugs.
The state law requires all school bus drivers to have a valid commercial driver's license with two additional endorsements to carry students. They're also required to undergo drug testing and background checks, as those with a history are disallowed from being a driver or an aide.
The company is also accused of falsifying vehicle inspection forms.
During two 2019 inspections, officials say almost all of the company's buses failed inspection.
The AG's office says in 2019, an F&A employee allegedly used heroin in the company's East Orange parking lot before transporting 12 kids with special needs. With the kids on board, that employee allegedly overdose and crashed into a building's wall.
Officials say the driver was revived by police using Narcan. The students onboard were not injured.
"Parents want to know their children are safe when they get on the bus to go to school each day," said Acting state Attorney General Andrew Bruck. "We will not tolerate the type of flagrant and widespread safety violations alleged here, involving unfit drivers as well as unsafe buses."
An audit of the company's driver files found that of 51 drivers, four had missing files, 23 had no driver's abstracts, while two were expired. Eleven had no physical exams on file, while 13 had them expired. Only a total of nine files were complete.
Each second-degree charges carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prisons, while third-degree charges are up to five years, and fourth-degree brings up to 18 months.
