In a twist to accusations of voter fraud in last month's Paterson Council election, the state Attorney General's Office has charged the brother of Councilman Shahin Khalique with employing unlicensed drivers and former criminals at a school bus company.
Concurrent to their probe into possible wrongdoings concerning mail-in ballots, state investigators stumbled across A-1 Elegant Tours Inc., a school bus company owned by Khalique's brother, Shelim, which served school districts across North Jersey.
The Attorney General said investigators seized personnel files from A-1 that showed a pattern of employing drivers with no commercial driver's license, no authorization to transport children and, in some cases, drivers with criminal records, which is prohibited by the state Department of Education.
Meanwhile, two former A-1 drivers face pending charges in Essex and Passaic counties for allegedly transporting children while under the influence of drugs, authorities said.
The state mandates that background checks be conducted on all drivers at the beginning of each school year and when each candidate applies for a driver’s license with an “S” endorsement from the Motor Vehicle Commission — meaning they are road-tested to drive a school bus.
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The Attorney General said A-1 garnered a slew of violations from MVC inspectors in 2018, including 22 citations for allowing a disqualified driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle, nine citations for failure to possess a valid commercial license while operating a commercial motor vehicle, five citations for failure to possess valid endorsements, and one citation for driving with a suspended license.
In May 2019, A-1's buses failed surprise inspections at multiple schools. The buses performed so poorly in the inspections that several were towed away and impounded, according to authorities.
An announcement of Shelim Khalique's arrest by the Attorney General alleges he instructed his drivers to avoid inspection sites and keep their buses at home overnight rather than the yard.
“We have rightly focused considerable attention in recent years on improving safety and security within our schools, but we also must ensure that children are safe while being transported to and from school,” said Attorney General Grewal. “As a parent and public official, I have no higher priority than protecting our children. This bus company allegedly lied about its employees and equipment to secure contracts, and then had unqualified drivers, convicted felons, and those under the influence drive and supervise young children each day in what were frequently unsafe vehicles. This is an unconscionable case of contract fraud.”
Khalique and A-1's manager, Henry Rhodes, are charged with conspiracy, false representations for a government contract, theft by deception, tampering with public records and misconduct by a corporate official.
In 2018, an investigation by NorthJersey.com found several school districts only required bus companies to submit written assurances that their drivers passed a criminal background check and did not seek documentation directly from the MVC or DOE.
However, state prosecutors accuse Khalique of falsifying records for his drivers, which he submitted to the DOE.
Nicholas Katzban is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: katzban@northjersey.com Twitter: @nicholaskatzban
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