An owner of a former trucking company has agreed to plead guilty in connection with a tragic crash in New Hampshire that resulted in the deaths of seven motorcyclists. Dunyadar Gasanov, 39, entered a plea at a court in Springfield, Massachusetts, admitting to three counts of providing false information to federal investigators. The now-closed company, Westfield Transport, Inc., employed Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a truck driver involved in the fatal 2019 accident in northern New Hampshire.
Gasanov was charged with tampering with driver logs to evade federal safety regulations, such as surpassing the permissible hours of operation for drivers. He reportedly instructed an employee to alter records by deactivating logging devices to extend driving hours, and he lied to federal authorities about these actions. Gasanov also falsely claimed he had only just met Zhukovskyy on his hire day, despite knowing him for years and being aware of his prior DUI charge.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy emphasized the importance of commercial vehicle operators complying with safety protocols to uphold public safety. Gasanov is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21 and faces imprisonment for up to five years, along with supervised release and a $10,000 fine for each count. Gasanov’s co-defendant, Dartanayan Gasanov, pleaded not guilty and awaits trial after both were indicted in 2021.
Meanwhile, a jury in 2022 found Volodymyr Zhukovskyy not guilty of multiple manslaughter and negligent homicide charges linked to the 2019 collision that claimed the lives of seven members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club. Although Zhukovskyy sought to reinstate his Massachusetts license in New Hampshire following his arrest after the crash, an administrative law judge upheld the suspension until June 2026 last month.
During a hearing in June, relatives of the victims and survivors of the tragic crash urged the judge to impose the maximum suspension period, arguing that driving is a privilege, not a constitutional right. David Bark, a member of the Jarheads, criticized the audacity of the individual responsible for causing immense pain to many to demand the return of driving privileges, emphasizing that such privileges must be earned and respected.
