Six defendants plead guilty in scheme to bypass commercial driver licensing requirements

The U.S. Department of Justice said all six defendants pleaded guilty in a scheme that enabled more than 100 applicants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses without completing required qualification steps. The DOJ alleges that restaurant owner Mahmoud Alhattab paid employees at a Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles office to complete applicants’ knowledge tests, while applicants paid him an average of $5,000.

The defendants pleaded guilty between July 29 and September 9, 2026. The DOJ described the case as involving convictions, but the source provides no sentencing details; the allegations concerning the scheme were resolved through guilty pleas.