(WNY News Now) – Buffalo, NY — A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to charges related to falsifying documents with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) after an investigation into a fatal pedestrian crash.
On February 11, 2025, Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that Mohammed R. Tanbir, 27, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty before Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes to three counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, all Class “D” felonies. Tanbir’s guilty plea came as part of a larger investigation into the tragic death of 21-year-old Sydney C. Lohr, who was struck and killed by Tanbir’s vehicle on July 15, 2023.
The incident occurred around 11:00 p.m. when Tanbir, driving his vehicle along Elmwood Avenue, hit Lohr while she was crossing the street south of Forest Avenue. Despite immediate medical attention, Lohr was pronounced dead at ECMC from injuries sustained in the crash. During the subsequent investigation, authorities discovered that Tanbir had been driving with excessively tinted windows.
Investigators uncovered that Tanbir had submitted falsified paperwork to the New York State DMV between 2020 and 2022, claiming a medical exemption to legally install the tinted windows. He provided fraudulent documents, including a doctored doctor’s signature, to support his claim. The investigation confirmed that Tanbir’s actions were intended to deceive the DMV.
The defendant now faces a maximum of seven years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for April 30, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Tanbir remains free on his own recognizance pending his sentencing.
District Attorney Keane praised Confidential Criminal Investigator Bob Bebak for his diligent work in the investigation and Assistant District Attorney Brian P. Dassero for prosecuting the case.
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