SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Editor's note: The above video aired October 21, 2019.
A co-owner of a Massachusetts trucking company is set to plead guilty on Tuesday to federal charges that he falsified trucking logs just weeks before his company's truck crashed into a group of motorcyclists in New Hampshire, killing seven people.
Dartanyan Gasanov of West Springfield, Massachusetts, who was president of Westfield Transport, is scheduled to plead guilty to falsifying records in U.S. District Court in Springfield.
Gasanov and his brother, Dunyadar Gasanov, also of West Springfield, were indicted in February 2021 on federal charges of falsifying records, conspiracy to falsify records, and making a false statement to a federal investigator.
Prosecutors said the two underreported the number of hours driven by employees in violation of federal requirements, prepared and help prepare false driving logs in order to hide that drivers routinely exceeded the maximum number of driving hours, and allowed at least one driver to deactivate their logging device, according to court documents.
On June 21, 2019, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy was driving a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck towing a flatbed trailer when he plowed into a group of 15 motorcyclists in Randolph, New Hampshire.
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Seven people died in the crash: Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, N.H.; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, N.H.; Albert Mazza, 59, of Lee, N.H.; Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, N.H.; Joanne and Edward Corr, 58, of Lakeville, Mass.; and Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, R.I.
Zhukovskyy is charged with seven counts each of manslaughter, negligent homicide, and negligent homicide while driving under the influence.
Prosecutors said Zhukovskyy was under the influence of several drugs at the
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for noon Tuesday before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni.