Summary

On January 26, 2015, Firdavs Mamadaliev pleaded guilty to Identification Documents Fraud and on February 2, 2015, Akmal Narzikulov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Honest Services Mail Fraud in U.S. District Court, Brooklyn, New York. In total, eleven individuals were indicted in October 2013, including Mamadaliev and Narzikulov, in connection with a widespread fraudulent Commercial Driver's License (CDL) test-taking scheme in New York State. 

The investigation revealed that fraudulent CDL test-taking activities occurred at five known DMV test centers in the New York City area. Surveillance operations, including the use of remote observation posts and pole-cameras, identified the defendants participating in the fraud scheme, including New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) security personnel, an external test-taker, facilitators, "runners", and lookouts. Conspiring CDL applicants paid facilitators between $1,800-$2,500 in return for CDL exam answers and escort assistance through DMV processes. Fraud schemes included the use of pencils containing miniaturized encoded test answers, the use of a Bluetooth headset as a communication device to relay CDL test answers, and the use of an external test-taker positioned nearby to take the exams. Mamadaliev was utilized as a "lookout" by one of the key facilitators at the DMV facilities and Narzikulov was identified as a key facilitator in the test-cheating scheme.

We are conducting this investigation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations, New York City Police Department, New York State (NYS) DMV Investigations, NYS - Attorney General's Office, and the NYS - Inspector General's Office.