STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A joint investigation by city, state and federal law enforcement uncovered a scheme in which countless individuals were issued driver’s permits and licenses on Staten Island without having to pass the required exams, authorities announced.
Here are five key takeaways from the original article by the Advance/SILive.com.
1. A Queens driving school allegedly targeted Chinese immigrants
T&E driving school in Flushing, Queens, used social media to solicit clients, specifically targeting Chinese immigrants who spoke Fujianese, many of whom were not U.S. citizens, authorities allege. The school charged $1,600 for a license if the applicant already had a permit, or $2,000 for both a learner’s permit and license, prosecutors said. Clients paid the fees but never had to take or pass the required tests, as either driving school employees would impersonate them or DMV examiners would bypass the tests and issue the permits and licenses, authorities said.
2. 8 individuals have been indicted, including DMV employees
The 139-count indictment names eight individuals: the owner, secretary and an employee of T&E driving school (Weixan Tan, Weiwan Tan, and Winnie Yang), two employees who acted as substitute test takers, and three Staten Island DMV workers (Edward Tarik Queen, Aji Idicula, and Tianna Rose Andolina) who were allegedly paid to issue fake exam grades and fraudulent licenses. New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang described their actions as “a shocking betrayal of public trust.” Most defendants face felony charges carrying a maximum sentence of two to seven years in prison if convicted.
3. The alleged scheme operated at multiple Staten Island DMV testing sites
The fraudulent operation was conducted at three DMV road testing sites on Staten Island: Dugdale in Oakwood, Lenevar in Woodrow, and Staten Island 2 in Mariners Harbor, prosecutors said. Officials estimate that a single DMV examiner administers about 1,500 tests per year, suggesting the potential scale of the fraud. During the execution of arrest warrants, authorities say investigators seized 150 permits that had been handed over to T&E presumably in the process of obtaining fraudulent licenses, though the total number of fraudulently issued licenses remains unclear.
4. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Road Test,” began with DMV insiders
Authorities were first alerted by individuals within the DMV who noticed irregularities in test scheduling. The investigation then deployed an undercover NYPD detective who speaks Fujianese to contact the driving school. The detective provided a learner’s permit and $1,600 to obtain a license, authorities said. After setting a date for a road test on Staten Island, the school informed the detective not to show up, and sometime later, the detective received a state-issued license without ever taking the test, confirming the fraudulent operation, prosecutors said.
5. The alleged scheme poses significant public safety and national security concerns…