FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is calling on multiple departments to investigate the gaps in oversight that allowed for a foreign national to fraudulently obtain a commercial driver’s license and possibly U.S. citizenship before allegedly causing an accident that killed an Ohio family.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Moreno urged top federal officials to launch a sweeping probe into how the driver, Modou Ngom, was able to remain in the United States for decades while allegedly evading immigration enforcement and obtaining official identification under false pretenses.
“Simply put, he is a criminal and should never have been in the U.S. in the first place,” Moreno wrote in the letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, adding that the situation amounts to an “inexcusable failure” in a variety of areas.
Ohio officials revealed last week that a semitruck driver charged in a fiery interstate crash that killed a young family of three fraudulently obtained an Ohio driver’s license, a commercial driver’s license and later U.S. citizenship under an alternate identity.
Ngom, 50, was arrested after authorities said he caused the April 11 chain-reaction crash on Interstate 71 northbound near U.S. 36, when his semitrailer slammed into slowed traffic in a construction zone and ignited a deadly fire, killing Lynnea Soposki, 36, Luke Soposki, 37, and their 1-year-old son, Logan.
The senator cited state and federal records indicating Ngom allegedly used multiple names and birthdates over the years, securing both state and federal identification before eventually becoming a naturalized citizen using a false identity.
“This case is not an isolated administrative failure — it is a systemic breakdown with fatal consequences,” Moreno wrote.
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Moreno praised the local prosecutors for charging Ngom with vehicular homicide but said the case demands a broader federal response and courtesy copied both the Department of Justice and State Department on the letter.
“The Department of Justice should bring all appropriate federal charges against Ngom, including, potentially, immigration fraud, false statements, and identity-document crimes,” Moreno wrote.
Moreno also called on the State Department to review Ngom’s citizenship status, suggesting denaturalization proceedings if fraud is confirmed.
The senator warned in the letter that the case highlights vulnerabilities in both immigration enforcement and the commercial trucking industry, arguing that bad actors are able to “game the system” while law-abiding drivers follow the rules.
“It is outrageous that honest truckers follow the rules while criminal aliens game the system and operate 80,000-pound vehicles that are capable of mass harm on our highways,” Moreno wrote.
“When the federal government turns a blind eye and fails to police its own borders, it is innocent American families on Ohio roads who pay the ultimate price,” the senator added.
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Moreno thanked Duffy and Mullin for their leadership and commitment to “protecting the American people” but requested answers to several questions within 30 days, including for a full accounting of how Ngom was able to enter and remain in the United States while allegedly using multiple identities to obtain legal status and credentials.
Moreno asks federal officials to identify how Ngom entered the U.S. and through which port of entry, what aliases and identities he used to obtain state and federal identification, and whether he submitted fraudulent documents during both the immigration and naturalization processes, including how those discrepancies were not caught by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
He also presses agencies to determine whether Ngom received any federal benefits and what records exist related to those interactions.
Moreno asks what documentation Ngom used to obtain a CDL and how a potentially fraudulent identity passed verification, whether Ngom or his trucking company committed additional unreported crimes, and what corrective actions federal agencies will take to close the loopholes that allowed this case to occur.
“These needless tragedies are avoidable with staunch enforcement of our immigration laws,” Moreno writes.
“Fortunately, President Trump has taken historic steps to remove illegal aliens from our nation. We must choose the safety of American families over those who spit in the face of our laws and customs. When that responsibility is neglected, the consequences are measured in American lives. If we cannot protect our own citizens from fraudsters, then our immigration and licensing regimes are not just broken—they are complicit.”
A DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department will respond directly to Moreno and pointed to a previous press release on preventing unqualified drivers from being on the road.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ, State Department and DHS for comment.
