The U.S. Department of Homeland Security cited the Schuylkill County crash that killed Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael E. Pahira Jr. while announcing a tipline for suspected commercial driver’s license fraud.
DHS Announces CDL Fraud Tipline
In a September 9 announcement, DHS listed Michael Bon, the truck driver charged in Pahira’s death, among several drivers whose cases it said illustrate concerns about commercial licensing. The department said Massachusetts issued Bon a commercial driver’s license.
DHS is asking the public to report suspected CDL fraud to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 866-347-2423.
The announcement does not say Bon has been charged with CDL fraud or establish that he obtained his Massachusetts license fraudulently. His criminal case in Schuylkill County remains pending.
Fatal I-81 Crash and Pending Cases
Pahira, 44, was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 South on July 1 when Bon’s tractor-trailer left its travel lane and struck the vehicles stopped for the inspection, according to state police. Pahira died from injuries sustained in the crash.
At an August 26 preliminary hearing, Magisterial District Judge Edward Tarantelli ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for Bon’s case to proceed to Schuylkill County Court. Bon faces charges including homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. The ruling was not a finding of guilt.
Bon’s attorney, John Waldron, raised the possibility at the hearing that Bon suffered a seizure before the crash. Separately, a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by Pahira’s family alleges Bon failed to disclose a seizure history on a commercial driver medical form. That allegation has not been proven in court.
DHS has described Bon, a Haitian national, as unlawfully present in the United States. However, immigration records previously reviewed by Skook News showed that he had a pending asylum application and an employment authorization document valid through June 28, 2027. Waldron has disputed the department’s characterization of Bon’s immigration status.
DHS said the tipline is part of a broader effort with the U.S. Department of Transportation and other federal agencies to investigate fraud and licensing practices in the trucking industry. The department also cited an August enforcement operation that it said removed more than 800 drivers from the road over three days, including 51 people it identified as unlawfully present.