A half-built mosque rising from the cornfields of southwest Ohio has become the unlikely epicenter of a widening debate over trucking fraud, public safety, and the quiet but rapid growth of a tightly networked Uzbek community in and around the village of Maineville.
According to Fox News, the Islamic Center of Maineville sits about a mile north of the villages main intersection in rural Warren County, a township of roughly 1,400 residents where the skyline has long been dominated by grain silos and church steeples rather than minarets. The mosque, approved by Hamilton Township in April 2022 and under construction for roughly four years, is now drawing scrutiny not simply because of its presence in a conservative, small-town setting, but because of who is paying for it and how those donors operate on Americas highways.
A Fox News Digital review of public records and social media posts found that the mosque has received substantial donations from a cluster of Uzbek-owned trucking companies, many of which have been repeatedly cited by federal regulators for serious safety and compliance violations. At the same time, the mosques own Telegram channel, with thousands of followers, has showcased apparent ties to current and former officials from the government of Uzbekistan, raising questions about foreign influence and the integrity of the local freight industry.
For years, the Islamic Center of Maineville has used its Telegram channel to solicit funds, acknowledge partnerships with trucking firms, and share screenshots of donations from local Uzbek-owned carriers that collectively total hundreds of thousands of dollars. The pattern suggests a close financial and social alignment between the religious institution and a growing web of trucking enterprises that now dominate the economic life of many recent arrivals from Central Asia.
One of the most prominent donors is Buraq Limited, a Springboro-based trucking company associated with Rukhshona Sultonova, which Telegram screenshots show contributed at least $28,000 to the mosque across 28 separate gifts. A review of Buraqs federal safety record revealed dozens of violations, including multiple English-proficiency failures, four electronic logging device (ELD) violations, three invalid commercial drivers license (CDL) violations, four expired medical cards, and four hours-of-service violations.
Premier Trucking Group Inc., owned by Sam Avazov, has also emerged as a major benefactor, with the Islamic Center posting a screenshot in September of a $1,000 donation and records indicating that the company has given at least $25,000 overall. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data show Premier has accumulated more than 100 violations, including citations for unsafe driving and invalid CDLs, underscoring concerns that some of the most generous donors are also among the most noncompliant on the road.
Another significant contributor, Foko Logistics LLC of Hilliard, owned by Abubakr Olimov, donated $20,000 in a single transaction to the mosque. FMCSA records for Foko show 52 violations across 37 inspections in the current 24-month period, including vehicle-maintenance failures involving damaged brake hoses, an inoperable tractor-protection valve, and severely underinflated tires, with 10 of 24 vehicle inspections resulting in an out-of-service designation a troubling 41.7% rate.
Maca Transportation and Services LLC, based in Dayton and owned by Muminkhuja Kholkhujaev, donated at least $7,000 to the Islamic Center across eight gifts. FMCSA data show Maca with 120 violations across 72 inspections, including an English-proficiency failure, multiple false or incomplete hours-of-service records, and serious brake, tire, and other maintenance violations, with 14 of 36 vehicle inspections leading to an out-of-service designation, or 38.9%.
One of the largest single donors, Phoenix Cargo, contributed $150,000 to the mosque and reportedly helped organize broader fundraising efforts among Uzbek trucking firms. The company told Fox News Digital that the mosque had approached it multiple times for donations but insisted that the $150,000 "represents only a fraction of the mosque's total construction budget" and that "Phoenix Cargo is not even among the project's top 100 donors."
Phoenix Cargo itself has been cited hundreds of times for safety violations, including English-proficiency failures, ELD tampering, and unsafe driving, according to federal records. The juxtaposition of large religious donations with extensive safety problems has fueled local fears that some carriers may be using their newfound economic clout to buy social capital while cutting corners on public safety.
Fox News Digital sought comment from the Islamic Center of Maineville regarding its donors and their safety records but received no response. Earlier this month, however, the mosque issued a general statement asserting that it is "committed to operating responsibly and in accordance with applicable law."
For some residents who have been tracking the issue, those assurances ring hollow in light of the documented violations and the scale of the fundraising. "The fundraising for the Islamic Center concerns me because a large percentage of the Uzbek truck companies that donate have been repeatedly cited for the same kinds of serious inspection violations," said an online researcher known as Nodawolf, who lives in the area, has been documenting alleged trucking fraud in southwest Ohio for months, and was granted anonymity due to death threats he has received.
"Those violations suggest a pattern of non-compliance with our laws and regulations among the donors, which is troubling given the communitys concentration in the freight industry in Maineville," he added. For many in this conservative region, the issue is not simply about immigration or religious diversity, but about whether newcomers are respecting the rule of law and the safety standards that protect American motorists.
Fox News Digital also asked the mosque whether an administrator on its Telegram channel using the name "Bek A" is in fact Bekhzod Asrarov, an Uzbek truck driver living in Maineville who authorities say struck and killed 21-year-old Ohio soccer player Tobias "Toby" Forsythe earlier this year. Asrarov, according to authorities, was unable to communicate effectively in English at the scene and has been accused of removing and concealing his dashcam after the crash, behavior that has intensified concerns about accountability and transparency within the local Uzbek trucking community.
The mosque did not respond to that inquiry either, leaving open questions about who exactly is managing its online presence and how closely those administrators are tied to controversial figures in the local freight industry. The silence has only deepened suspicions among residents who feel their legitimate safety concerns are being brushed aside in the name of political correctness.
On its website, the Islamic Center of Maineville declares that it does "not solicit donations from any foreign government, organization, association, partnership or individual or any agent thereof" and urges that "any such attempt" be reported immediately. Yet the organizations Telegram activity appears to tell a more complicated story, suggesting close ties with the government of Uzbekistan, particularly through the countrys expanding network of trucking companies.
Central to that network is Hamkor Uz Cincinnati Association, a nonprofit founded in 2020 to unite Uzbeks in the Cincinnati area and support community projects, including religious and cultural centers. Hamilton Township records list Hamkor as the owner of the roughly 6.7-acre parcel where the Islamic Center of Maineville is being built, placing the group at the heart of both the property and the broader Uzbek community infrastructure.
Telegram screenshots reviewed by Fox News Digital show Hamkor Uzs connections to former Uzbek government officials. One image features the Mason office of Erkinbay Abdulla, accompanied by a message describing him as a former Uzbek official who "creates the trucking companies."
Another screenshot contains a community statement attributed to Sukhrob Norbekov, whom an accompanying message identifies as another former Uzbek official representing the mosque. These materials place individuals linked to Uzbekistans political class alongside an organization involved in the mosque project and figures involved in launching local trucking companies, raising red flags for those wary of foreign-state-aligned networks operating inside the United States.
Current Uzbek officials also appear to be involved with the mosque and the local trucking sector through Uzbekistans Ministry of Digital Technologies, according to photos posted on the mosques Telegram channel. Screenshots show a six-member Uzbek delegation that traveled to the United States in April 2025, including Ambassador Furqat Sidiqov, regional government officials, and three officials from the Ministry of Digital Technologies, underscoring the level of official interest in this small Ohio community.
Separate posts invite entrepreneurs and trucking-company managers to an April 19 IT conference hosted by Hamkor Uz Cincinnati at a banquet hall in nearby Loveland, Ohio. The event appears to blend technology promotion, business networking, and community-building, further cementing the role of Uzbek trucking interests as both economic engine and social hub for the diaspora.
A review of the Hamkor Uz Telegram channel, administered by current and former Uzbek government officials, shows advertisements for local trucking companies, removable truck signs, English courses for truck driving school, and legal counseling. Other posts feature the mosques owner providing guidance on "Shariah compliant banking" and a tutorial on "speaking English with the police" and how to "learn on the road," suggesting a coordinated effort to help drivers navigate American systems while maintaining distinct cultural and religious norms.
For observers like Nodawolf, the apparent coordination and foreign-state links are cause for serious concern. He said the ties to the government of Uzbekistan are troubling "because these Uzbek trucking companies appear to be tightly organized, with patterns that look almost like a shared blueprint."
"Given the documented safety and compliance problems in many of these companies, its reasonable to ask whether gaps in U.S. regulations are being systematically exploited," he added. From a conservative perspective, the situation raises fundamental questions about border security, vetting of foreign business networks, and whether federal and state regulators are adequately protecting American citizens from imported risk.
Several locals who spoke to Fox News Digital said they have tried to raise alarms with their elected officials about the rapid rise of Uzbek-owned trucking companies and the potential safety gaps that may accompany them. Many say they have been largely ignored, and some believe their representatives are afraid to confront the issue for fear of being smeared as bigots.
"They're scared, I think they recognize that they could be called names, they can recognize they could be called out for, you know, like, Islamophobic or racist or things, but it's not that at all," said a resident from nearby Middletown, Ohio, who posts information about trucking companies online under the name GHOSTOPSUZ and whose community has also seen an influx of foreign-owned carriers. The residents comments reflect a broader frustration among conservatives who feel that legitimate law-and-order concerns are being silenced by identity politics.
One lawmaker who has chosen to act is Ohio Republican state Rep. Michelle Teska, who represents most of Warren County, including Maineville, and has introduced legislation to tighten commercial-driver licensing requirements. Her proposal includes a measure requiring driver examinations to be administered in English, which she told Fox News Digital addresses the "low-hanging fruit of the problem."
"I did some research and basically found out that you can get your driver's license and your CDL license in the state of Ohio and you can have that test in 10 different languages," Teska said. "So that, to me, common sense says that's insanity."
Teska said she has witnessed the problem "firsthand" while driving around her district, calling it "rampant." She recounted a recent incident that crystallized her concerns about language barriers and road safety.
"This past weekend, I was at an event in Warren County and I was at an event that is right across the street from the BMV and I was just kind of observing a gentleman pulling in a semi truck cab into the parking lot on a Saturday at the BMV taking up four spaces, clearly had no idea how to drive the truck," Teska explained. "So I walked over to the BMV and spoke to this person and kind of confronted him and said, hey, do you speak English? He replied, no, I don't speak English. Asked him where he was from. He was from Uzbekistan. So it was crazy because I was watching it all take place live."
Local authorities have begun to respond, at least on the enforcement side, as the scale of the trucking influx becomes harder to ignore. In recent weeks, Warren County agencies have stepped up their presence in the trucking sector and on local roads, including a targeted crackdown over the last week.
"The Hamilton Township Police Department actively monitors traffic safety concerns within our jurisdiction and works with our public safety partners to address violations and unsafe driving behaviors when identified," a township spokesperson said. "In fact, our officers recently participated in a targeted traffic enforcement initiative focused on commercial motor vehicles, working alongside partner agencies to identify safety violations and improve roadway safety. We will continue to enforce applicable laws and take appropriate action when circumstances warrant."
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell emphasized that there is nothing inherently improper about mosque fundraising and that he has not received any information indicating that any laws have been broken in connection with the Islamic Centers donations. At the same time, he told Fox News Digital that "theres something going on" within the Uzbek community in southwest Ohio that "warrants at least awareness on the part of law enforcement."
"It's disproportionate to what we see with any other immigrant community," Fornshell said. His office has been forced to adapt as the number of cases involving Uzbek nationals has climbed.
Since 2021, Fornshell said, the region has experienced an "influx of cases involving Uzbeks" that has required hiring more court interpreters and city employees who speak the language, particularly in lower courts that handle traffic offenses. "I would say hardly a week goes by where we don't have some felony case involving an Uzbek, it's pretty frequent at this point," he said, underscoring the strain on local institutions.
Census data from 2024 indicate that roughly 1,500 people born in Uzbekistan live in Greater Cincinnati, with about 3,800 Uzbekistan-born residents across Ohio. Uzbek community leaders argue that the official numbers undercount their presence, estimating that roughly 4,000 Uzbek families including U.S.-born children now live in southern Ohio, many drawn by the regions access to major freight corridors and trucking jobs.
"This is our motherland now, from now on," Hamkor Uz board member Nodirjon Ernazarov told the Cincinnati Enquirer through a translator in a recent story highlighting the Uzbek populations efforts to integrate into the community. The article noted that the influx of Uzbeks was driven in part by the areas proximity to the trucking industry, which offers relatively quick economic opportunity for new arrivals.
"Uzbek people are very hardworking people," Ernazarov added. "So this mosque is (being built) by the help of all Uzbeks."
What the Enquirer did not mention is that Ernazarov also owns Ray Cargo Corp., a trucking company that has donated tens of thousands of dollars to the mosque and has been cited for numerous safety violations, including unsafe driving and driver fitness issues. That omission highlights a broader concern among critics: that local media and political leaders may be downplaying or ignoring the risks posed by a rapidly expanding, foreign-linked trucking network that is reshaping small-town Ohio.
Fox News Digital reached out to every trucking company mentioned in the investigation for comment. As the mosque continues to rise over Mainevilles fields, residents are left to weigh competing narratives one of hardworking immigrants building a new life, and another of systemic safety violations, opaque foreign ties, and regulatory gaps that could put American drivers and communities in harms way.
Login