Summary

On January 21, 2015, Inocente Gonzalez and LaToya Bourne pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Brooklyn, New York, to conspiracy to commit Honest Services Mail Fraud in connection with a widespread fraudulent Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) test-taking scheme in New York State. In total, eleven individuals were indicted in October 2013, including Gonzalez and Bourne.

The investigation revealed that fraudulent CDL test-taking activities had 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. Both Gonzalez and Bourne were employed as security guards at NYS-DMV locations in Manhattan, New York.

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.