Mercer Times

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, alongside the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), has announced the sentencing of Ahmed Mahgoub, owner of an Essex County school bus company. The sentencing follows a failure to conduct drug tests and background checks on drivers, one of whom was involved in a crash. The company also operated unsafe buses and attempted to cover up these issues.

Mahgoub, aged 65 from East Hanover, New Jersey, received a five-year state prison sentence from Judge Mark Ali at the New Jersey Superior Court in Essex Vicinage. This sentence aligns with a plea agreement made with the OPIA Corruption Bureau. Additionally, Mahgoub and his company, F&A Transportation, Inc., must pay $500,000 in corruption profiteering penalties. Both are banned from conducting business with the State of New Jersey or its subdivisions for ten years.

Attorney General Platkin stated: “The defendant not only flouted government regulations and standards, he risked the lives of children by cutting corners.” Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA added: “The defendant skirted quality controls and oversight designed to ensure that qualified and trustworthy drivers were taking children to and from school each day.”

Mahgoub and F&A pleaded guilty on March 6, 2024, to one count of false representation for a government contract (2nd degree). Faiza Ibrahim, co-owner of F&A Transportation and also from East Hanover, has entered a pretrial intervention program related to tampering with public records or information (3rd degree). She faces a similar 10-year business ban with the State along with a $75,000 penalty.

Investigations by OPIA and the New Jersey State Police Official Corruption Bureau uncovered criminal activities tied to contracts obtained between 2016 and 2020 with public school districts across several counties including Essex. These contracts totaled around $3.5 million.

Findings revealed that drivers were hired without valid commercial licenses or necessary endorsements; some had criminal backgrounds or substance abuse issues. Furthermore, vehicle inspection forms were falsified to show compliance with safety inspections required by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC).

Despite these falsifications suggesting all buses passed inspections consistently, MVC inspections in February and August 2019 showed nearly all F&A's buses failed both times.

Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Frank Valdinoto prosecuted this case under supervision from Corruption Bureau Co-Director Jeffrey Manis and OPIA Executive Director Skinner.