A citizen of Uzbekistan pleaded not guilty Oct. 21, 2026, in federal court in Bridgeport, Conn., to a conspiracy charge alleging he helped steal at least 24 cargo loads by taking control of legitimate motor carriers’ identities, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. A federal grand jury in New Haven indicted Nursulton Izzatulloevich Khaydarov, 33, on Sept. 22. He was arrested June 1 in Ontario, Calif., on a federal criminal complaint and has been detained since, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors allege that beginning around September 2025, Khaydarov and others bought or took control of motor carrier companies, including their USDOT and MC numbers, business email accounts and the identities of their owners, then posed as those former owners to win interstate loads from freight brokers. According to the government, drivers picked up the freight, which never arrived and was reported stolen; at times, co-conspirators allegedly demanded ransom for its return. The loads allegedly included hard drives, stereo and computer equipment, electronics, clothing, food and nicotine products. Prosecutors estimate the retail value of the thefts in which Khaydarov was personally involved at more than $12 million and allege he held fraudulent driver’s licenses under five other names.
The alleged method echoes a Los Angeles case in which a federal jury in September convicted two men in a scheme that used purchased trucking companies to book and steal loads, as FreightWaves reported. In both cases, prosecutors describe carrier authority and identity—not equipment—as the entry point, a reminder that a long-standing MC number may not reflect who currently controls a company. The FBI led the Connecticut investigation with help from the DOT Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and police in Fullerton and Ontario, Calif. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison. An indictment is an allegation, and Khaydarov is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
