Summary

On January 12, 2015, Marie Daniel pleaded guilty in connection with a widespread fraudulent Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) test-taking scheme in New York State (NYS). Daniel was indicted, along with ten others in October 2013 by a federal grand jury in U.S. District Court, Brooklyn, New York.

The investigation revealed that fraudulent CDL test-taking activities had taken place at five known New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) test centers in the New York City area. Surveillance operations, including the use of remote observation posts and pole-cams, identified the defendants participating in the fraud scheme, including DMV security personnel, an external test-taker, facilitators, "runners", and lookouts. Conspiring CDL applicants were known to have 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. Investigators identified Marie Daniel as an external test-taker.

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