The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced it has arrested 102 people on charges of using a fraudulent Puerto Rico license or driver abstract to try to obtain driving privileges in New York State. The charges filed against the defendants include 94 felony charges and 8 misdemeanors.
The arrests are part of a months-long, statewide investigation that led to arrests in Buffalo, Tonawanda, Geneseo, Utica, Rome, Wampsville, Syracuse, Rochester, Greece, Beacon, Henrietta and Irondequoit.
“We at DMV take our role to protect New Yorkers very seriously, and these arrests should put fraudsters on notice,” DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said. “By presenting false documents to DMV to bypass required tests these fraudsters could have posed a traffic safety risk to the motoring public but thanks to the diligent work of our investigators, they have been stopped.”
By attempting to exchange a fake out-of-state license for a real New York license, the defendants tried to circumvent the knowledge (written) and skills (road) tests required to get a New York license.
In most cases, investigators say individuals used their true identity on false documents to bypass knowledge and skills testing to immediately obtain New York driving privileges through a fraudulent reciprocity transaction. Many of these individuals had previously failed knowledge and/or skills tests when attempting to obtain driving privileges.
In all cases, the charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
For more information about DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov, or follow the DMV conversation online at Facebook, Twitter and Insta