Summary

On March 30, 2016, Tanael Daniel was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Brooklyn, NY, to time served, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special court assessment. Daniel was also ordered to leave the country within 60 days. On July 17, 2015, after a three-day trial, a Federal jury found Daniel, along with four other defendants, guilty of charges related to cheating on commercial driver’s license (CDL) tests.

DOT-OIG’s investigation revealed that fraudulent CDL test-taking activities had taken place at five New York State Department of Motor Vehicle (NYSDMV) test centers in the New York City area. Surveillance operations, including use of remote observation posts and pole-cams, identified these individuals participating in the fraud scheme, including NYSDMV security personnel, an external test-taker, facilitators, runners, and lookouts. Conspiring CDL applicants paid facilitators between $1,800 and $2,500 in return for CDL exam answers and escort assistance through the DMV processes. Fraud schemes included the use of pencils with encoded miniaturized 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.

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, New York City Police Department, NYCDMV Investigations, New York State Attorney General’s Office, and NYS-OIG.