Leader of CDL scam sentenced to prison

A Chicago man recently was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Chicago to 41 months in federal prison followed by 36 months supervised release for his role in a conspiracy to obtain hundreds of CDLs fradulently.

Adam Babul was owner of Bamba, a now-defunct firm providing assistance to individuals seeking U.S. legal documents and legal status, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General.

Prosecutors said Babul and other defendants guaranteed CDLs to Illinois residents for $2,000 per license. They transported CDL applicants to Wisconsin banks to set up accounts with fake Wisconsin addresses; the accounts were used as proof of residency for Wisconsin CDL applications. Bamba also supplied a language translator who gave answers to CDL test questions at the examination site, prosecutors said.

A federal jury found Babul guilty of conspiracy in June. Three other defendants pleaded guilty as co-conspirators and were sentenced in October to varying periods of probation.