Paterson Based School Bus Company Put Children at Risk, Attorney General Says – TAPinto.net
TRENTON, NJ – The owner and manager of a Paterson-based school bus company were both indicted Tuesday for allegedly providing false information to school districts in connection with contracts to cover up the fact that the company hired unqualified drivers, failed to conduct mandatory drug testing and criminal background checks for drivers and aides, and operated unsafe buses, all in violation of contract terms and state requirements, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced.
While the charges of Conspiracy, False Representations for a Government Contract, Theft by Deception, Tampering with Public Records of Information, and Falsifying or Tampering with Records were originally handed down on June 25, 2020, Shelim Khalique, 52, of Wayne, and Henry Rhodes, 57, of Paterson, have now been indicted by a state grand jury.
Khalique and Rhodes are also charged with Misconduct by a Corporate Official.
“This indictment is an important step in our prosecution of these defendants, who we charge jeopardized the safety of children and lied to conceal their egregious conduct,” Grewal said. “The defendants allegedly had unqualified drivers, convicted felons, and narcotics users drive and supervise children— frequently in unsafe buses. We’ll continue to investigate and aggressively prosecute this type of criminal conduct, because we have no higher priority than protecting children.”
According to a statement, personnel files seized in 2019 during execution of a search warrant revealed that A-1 employed many drivers who did not have valid commercial driver’s licenses or required endorsements, had suspended licenses, and/or had criminal records. A-1 also employed bus aides with criminal records. A number of files were missing mandatory records of fingerprinting, background checks, and drug testing. Two bus drivers were charged with driving buses for A-1 with one or more children on board while under the influence of narcotics. One of them crashed the bus. Another former driver is a registered sex offender.
“It is painfully apparent that the operators of this company lost their moral compass, putting profit above safety by placing innocent children on buses unfit for the road, which were operated by unqualified drivers, who in many instances had criminal records,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that those responsible face justice.”
From 2016 to 2020, A-1 had contracts with public school districts in Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. The indictment relates exclusively to contracts in Essex County. In the aggregate, A-1 had contracts with a total value in excess of $1 million with various public school districts in Essex County during the time period in question.
“A-1 put the lives of many children at risk with its illegal activities,” said Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. “I am grateful to have worked with Prosecutor Ted Stephens and the Attorney General’s Office to help put an end to this unsafe operation.”
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