The former owner of a Massachusetts trucking company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges tied to a 2019 crash involving a company vehicle that killed seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire.
Dunyadar Gasanov, also known as Damien Gasanov, and his brother Dartanayan Gasonov, ran the now-defunct Westfield Transport Inc., a company that provided interstate transport for vehicles, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for Massachusetts. The brothers were accused of falsifying company records, including driving logs, allowing their drivers to work over the number of hours allowed by law. The are also accused of making false statements to federal inspectors about the recording devices that are meant to track drivers for the same safety purpose.
On June 21, 2019, one of those drivers was driving a pickup towing a flatbed trailer when he collided with a group of 10 motorcycles on U.S. 2 in Randolph, New Hampshire. Seven of the motorcyclists were killed. The group was made up of members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, an organization of Marine Corps veterans and their spouses in New England.
Dunyadar Gasanov also admitted to knowing the driver, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, for years before he was hired by the company, and that he knew that Zhukovskyy had been charged with operating under the influence in the past.
Dunyadar Gasanov pleaded guilty to three counts of making false statements to federal investigators. Each charge faces a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Dartanayan Gasanov has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Zhukovskyy was found not guilty of multiple manslaughter and negligent homicide charges in 2022. At his trial, prosecutors argued that Zhukovskyy — who had taken heroin, fentanyl and cocaine the day of the crash — repeatedly swerved back and forth before the collision and told police he caused it. But a judge dismissed eight impairment charges. Defense attorneys said the lead biker was drunk and not looking where he was going when he lost control of his motorcycle and slid in front of Zhukovskyy’s truck, which was pulling an empty flatbed trailer.
Zhukovskyy's license was automatically suspended after the wreck, and despite requests to reinstate it, New Hampshire refused to reinstate it until June 2026, seven years after the crash.
