A man who caused the death of three Americans, including a baby, allegedly obtained U.S. citizenship with a fake identity

The alleged Somali immigrant and tractor-trailer driver accused of causing a crash in Delaware County earlier this month that killed three people reportedly committed fraud by using a fake identity to obtain his U.S. citizenship and driver’s licenses.

Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson said in a Thursday statement that state officials will share the recently revealed information about semi-truck driver Modou Ngom with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal and local prosecutors will also be notified, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Wilson said that the information was shared with ICE for further investigation because the federal immigration agency “is the proper law enforcement agency to further investigate these allegations,” the news source reported.

Ngom, 50, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and four charges of vehicular assault after crashing into a line of stopped traffic on northbound I-71 near the U.S. 36/Route 37 interchange, which resulted in the deaths of a family of three, including a baby, and injuring several other people.

The crash killed a family of three living in Ashley, Delaware County: Lynnea and Luke Soposki and their 1-year-old son, Logan, according to The Dispatch.

As of Thursday, Ngom was being held in the Delaware County Jail.

According to The Dispatch, Wilson said Ngom is a naturalized U.S. citizen who allegedly obtained citizenship in 2015 by faking his identity. Before that, Ngom allegedly entered the U.S. in the 1990s and lied several times, using multiple names to obtain state and federal identification, including an Ohio driver’s license in 2003 and a commercial driver’s license in 2007.

During an investigation into Ngom’s background, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Ohio State Highway Patrol discovered “conflicting information related to his identity in state and federal records.”

Ngom allegedly told an officer who responded to the scene of the crash that he has a wife in Senegal and that he doesn’t have any relatives in the United States, according to the news source.

Wilson did not mention where Ngom is originally from. However, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, previously said that he came from Somalia. While Moreno said the truck driver is a naturalized Somali, state officials have not corroborated that statement.

The crash report obtained by the news source said that Ngom allegedly failed to leave enough space during a traffic slowdown in a work zone and rear-ended the Soposki family’s Silverado, which was traveling 25 miles per hour.

The Dispatch reported that a responding officer did not see any signs of heavy braking or skid marks on the road. The report also said that it was unclear whether airbags were deployed.

However, Ngom said that he did “everything possible to prevent the crash” and blamed the Soposki’s car for causing the crash, with the report adding that Ngom tested negative for any alcohol or drugs.

Last month, state Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, introduced House Bill 753, which would mandate that the Registrar of Motor Vehicles administer driver’s exams in English. Proponents say the approach would ensure that drivers understand traffic laws and the information required to operate a vehicle responsibly and legally, thereby increasing safety.

“It’s important that Ohio drivers understand English so they can understand traffic laws, read road signs, and effectively interact with law enforcement,” Schmidt said in a release.