Paid Others To Take Their License Exams
Eight Queens residents were among 21 individuals arrested and indicted for allegedly cheating on their state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) commercial driver’s license (CDL) written examinations, prosecutors announced last week.
According to State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., this new development is part of Inspector General Scott’s ongoing investigation into the CDL test cheating scheme first revealed in September of last year.
“People with commercial driver licenses operate school buses and heavy trailered vehicles that carry hazardous chemicals and petroleum,” said Scott. “We entrust the operators of these vehicles to safely bring our children to and from school. We count on them to navigate very busy transportation networks without getting into catastrophic accidents. Test cheating puts innocent people at grave risk and cannot be tolerated. I have conducted this investigation to ensure the safety of our communities and to hold test cheaters accountable.”
“We entrust the holders of specialized licenses to drive our kids to school, transport dangerous materials, and perform other important tasks, all behind the wheels of large motor vehicles. It is critical that these drivers have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform these duties safely,” Vance added. “The defendants are accused of fraudulently obtaining specialized licenses, putting at risk the lives of everyone who shares our roadways.”
Among those charged with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree (Penal Law Section 175.35), and false statements, alteration of records or substitution in connection with examination (Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 392) for allegedly cheating on their CDL exams include the following:
– Eli Abreu, 35, of Ozone Park;
– Jean Destin, 41, of Ozone Park;
– Denton Harding, 45, of St. Albans;
– Luis Hernandez, 36, of Ozone Park;
– Holger Marin, 51, of Elmhurst;
– Ariel Rondon-Moronta, 27, of Woodhaven; and
– Roberto Tineo, 28, of Ozone Park.
These individuals were arraigned before Judge Arlene Goldberg of New York State Supreme Court, New York County.
“When your child gets on the school bus in the morning, you should not have to worry that the bus driver obtained a commercial driver’s license through a fraudulent scheme,” said James T. Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New York, whose office has been participating in the investigation. “[The] arrests remove dangerous drivers from our streets and make our roads and our communities safer.”
Last September, Scott, Vance and U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch announced the arrest of eight ringleaders, eight test takers, and three security guards for their alleged role in the scheme. Under the scheme, test takers agreed to pay ring leaders to secure the correct answers for the tests.
Test takers would leave the testing area and hand their blank test to a scheme organizer or an associate, who would then take the blank test to a person with knowledge of the answers to the test. The completed test was then returned to the test takers for submission to a DMV clerk.
The inspector general found that this scheme was facilitated by allegedly bribing security guards.
These defendants allegedly engaged in the same scheme.
CDL applicants take a “core” examination, and then supplemental tests called “endorsements” for specified areas such as hazardous material transport, school bus driving, or the operation of tandem trailer trucks and tow trucks.
Scott thanked Vance and his prosecution and investigation teams, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, New York State Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service New York Regional Fugitive Task Force and New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Division of Field Investigations, for their assistance in the arrests.
It was noted that the indictment is merely an accusation and all defendants are innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
