‘Reeks of Fraud’: Sean Duffy Calls Out CDL Tragedy in Ohio

Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is speaking out about another deadly crash allegedly caused by a foreign-born driver who had a commercial driver’s license despite not being able to speak English.

Earlier this month, Bekhzod Asrarov, who was born in Uzbekistan, allegedly struck the back of a 2025 Honda Accord in Madison County, Ohio. The incident resulted in the death of the driver, 21-year-old Tobias Forsythe, who was a native of Gahanna, Ohio, and a soccer player at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Asrarov, 42, is charged with falsification. He allegedly ripped off the truck’s dash cam before authorities could arrive to the scene of the crash. Prosecutors noted that more charges could be coming, pending a full report, according to NBC4. Asarov was released without bond last weekend and will be required to wear an ankle monitor.

As was discussed on Monday morning’s edition of Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” Asrarov came to the United States in 2024 via a diversity visa lottery. He needed Google Translate to communicate with Ohio troopers.

Duffy, a guest on the program, noted that Asrarov also allegedly tried to rip out his electronic log book.

“Not only did he not speak English, when he took the test to get his commercial driver’s license, he took it in English and allegedly passed. So, this reeks of fraud, and we are now digging in to figure out where did he go to school, who gave him the test, how did they pass him,” Duffy continued. “But, per our rules, he should have never had a commercial driver’s license, should have never been on the road.”

A report from ABC 6 noted that “questions remain about Asrarov’s commercial driving credentials.”

The report raised concerns about how the licenses are handed out through “CDL mills,” which may improperly train or test drivers, even if candidates don’t meet federal requirements.

“When these national training standards came out, there was a proliferation of bad actors,” Andrew Poliakoff, vice president of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, said. “Some were offering one- or two-day training. Those are terrible practices, and we’ve been working to get those operators out of the industry.”

In a post on X honoring Forsythe, Duffy wrote, “We cannot let truckers like Asarov, who can’t read our road signs or speak to law enforcement, drive 80,000-pound rigs on America’s highways.”

“We will never stop fighting to keep these dangerous truck drivers OFF THE ROAD so no other parents have to endure this unimaginable grief,” his post added.

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, also posting on X, called Forsythe’s death a “senseless tragedy.”

To address the problem, Husted introduced the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act, which requires testing to be done in English. In March, Husted said it is “common sense” for truck drivers to be able to read road signs in the English language.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, also has called for action on the issue, especially in light of another deadly crash in Delaware County, Ohio, in April. That collision involved Modou Ngom, a foreign-born driver who is facing aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault charges. That case also allegedly involved fraud.

State Sen. Tim Schaffer, vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, told ABC 6 of his concerns.

“These accidents we are seeing in Central Ohio is surprising and disturbing,” he said. “I want to look into what our standards are here in Ohio. We should make sure we are doing better than other states. When we issue a CDL, we want to know that person understands how to safely drive these large trucks. We also need to make sure the testing is legitimate.”

Last month, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles took action to downgrade the licenses of those who can’t adequately prove they are in the United States legally.