Listen to the article
A citizen of Uzbekistan who holds permanent resident status in the United States has been indicted on federal conspiracy charges after prosecutors alleged he participated in a scheme to steal interstate cargo shipments with a combined retail value exceeding $12 million.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on 22 September, was filed in the District of Connecticut. The defendant appeared before a federal court in Bridgeport and entered a plea of not guilty. He has remained in custody since his arrest in June 2026 in Ontario, California.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, the alleged scheme began in September 2025 and involved the defendant and co-conspirators acquiring or taking control of existing trucking companies. They then used those companies’ registration data, account numbers, corporate email addresses and ownership records to impersonate the legitimate operators and secure contracts to haul freight between states.
Once a carrier took possession of a shipment from a warehouse or distribution centre, the goods were never delivered to their intended destination. The conspirators subsequently reported the cargo as stolen. In some instances, prosecutors allege, participants in the scheme demanded ransom payments for the return of the missing goods.
The indictment covers at least 24 separate shipments. Among the items allegedly stolen were hard drives, audio equipment, clothing, electronics, computer hardware, food products and nicotine-containing goods.
False identities and a commercial licence
Investigators found that the defendant held a valid commercial driver’s licence issued by the state of New Jersey. Authorities also discovered five counterfeit driver’s licences in his possession, each bearing a different name but carrying his photograph with altered facial features, according to the indictment.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.