NYC driving school rigged driver's licenses for illegal immigrants — even if they couldn't drive: DA
T&E Driving School in Queens took cash from Chinese immigrants — many of whom didn't even speak English — and paid off a crew of Department of Motor Vehicles employees on Staten Island to illegally obtain driver's licenses, District Attorney Michael McMahon said at a press conference.
The crackdown, dubbed Operation Road Test, took down the ring in a joint investigation with state investigators and the US Department of Homeland Security, prosecutors said.
4 Staten Island prosecutors said a Queens driving school ran a DMV pay-to-drive scam for illegal immigrants.
Michael McWeeney
'Our investigation found that T&E Driving School blatantly flouted the laws and procedures that are necessary to ensure the public safety on the road,' George Ioannidis, assistant special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New York said Tuesday.
'As alleged T&E utilized social media and strategic advertising to Target exploited members of the Chinese community and guaranteed individual driver's licenses regardless of their immigration status, language, and even their ability to operate a vehicle,' he said.
'Moreover these individuals were those who did not speak or understand English and may have believed that they all were taking necessary and legitimate steps.'
T&E owner Weixian Tan, secretary Weiwen Tan, employee Winnie Yang and school road test driver Wenfeng Yang set up the scam by paying off DMV examiners Aji Idicula, Tianna Rose Andolina and Edward Tarik Queen, according to the indictment.
4 Staten Island DA Michael McMahon said the T&E driving school ran a DMV fraud scam for illegal immigrants.
James Messerschmidt
4 Wenfend Yang and three other employees of T&E Driving School are charged with an illegal immigrant DMV scam.
Michael McWeeney
The examiners would then rubber stamp the wanna-be drivers without even having them take a road test.
McMahon said the scam extends beyond the seven named indictments, with two dozen suspects in custody and another indicted DMV employee not identified in the 49-page document.
'The numbers, as we go through this investigation, as we go through the materials that have been seized, we think that we are going to find hundreds if not thousands of people that have been part of this scam,' the prosecutor said.
'The number of tests given by an individual examiner can be about 1,500 a year,' he said. 'Two out of the three examiners have been working for four or five years, so we think this is just the tip of the iceberg.'
4 Staten Island prosecutors said DMV examiners took illegal payoffs to issue fraudulent licenses to immigrants.
Getty Images
In a statement, McMahon called the pay-to-drive scheme a 'corrosively corrupt' operation centered on DMV workers who 'brazenly betrayed their oaths of office.'
The defendants were arraigned on a slew of fraud, tampering and theft charges and were released — the charges are not eligible for bail under the state's controversial 2019 criminal justice reforms.
However, they were ordered to surrender their passports.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Former Arsenal player Thomas Partey charged with five counts of rape
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London's Metropolitan Police said on Friday. Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said. Partey's management did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He is due to appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Aug. 5. Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal's first team. He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Man Sues Trump Admin To Keep 70 Million-Year-Old Tyrannosaurus Skull
A Texas man is suing the Trump administration over its attempts to seize his 70 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar skull. Robert M. Lavinsky bought the ancient fossil from a Gem & Mineral and Fossil Show dealer in 2005. It is now stored in Texas. However, he has been under investigation since 2014 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), both of which allege the skull is stolen property. Lavinsky is suing the agencies, with a complaint filed on Wednesday stating: "The Government's demand for forfeiture of Plaintiff's personal property constitutes a concrete and particularized injury." DHS and attorneys for Lavinsky have been contacted via email outside business hours for comment. The Trump administration, particularly DHS, is already being sued by several groups of Attorneys General, citizens, and people who have been detained by ICE as part of the government's hardline immigration agenda. This is another lawsuit to add to its extensive legal schedule. Unlike other cases against the federal government, however, this suit is not related to specific Trump administration policies, as it relates to DHS activity that was initiated during the Obama era. According to Lavinsky's court filing, an investigation into the skull began in 2014, two years after the government launched an inquiry into the store owners who sold Lavinsky the bataar skull. The skull originated from Mongolia, and according to the US government, "under U.S. law, generally, paleontological artifacts of Mongolian origin are considered to be stolen property and vertebrate paleontological artifacts of Chinese origin are considered to be stolen property." The government then said Lavinsky had broken the law by requesting the skull be imported into the U.S., and said it would "initiate legal action to compel the production of and/or seizure and forfeiture of" the item, says the filing. Lavinsky and his legal team argue he did not import the skull, but rather bought it when it was already in the United States. This new suit arose because the government froze Lavinsky's ownership rights over the skull in 2014. In 2017, James Godwin, the owner of the store that sold Lavinsky the skull, sued the government, saying it had gone beyond its statute of limitations in the case of the skull. Per Lavinsky's filing: "The Court found that the Government discovered facts showing Dr. Godwin's Bataar skull existed in the United States and was in Dr. Godwin's possession when it received the July 2012 Production [of records exchanged between Godwin and the government regarding the skull.]" The filing went on to say: "Notably, the Court adopted the 'known or should have known' standard for the running of 5-year statute of limitations under 19 U.S.C. § 1621 for civil forfeiture claims... The Government failed to timely file its request for forfeiture." Despite this ruling, Lavinsky's ownership rights remain in question. He says he wants to donate the skull to Wyoming Dinosaur Center & Dig Sites in Thermopolis, but is unable to do so because he worries that if he tried to donate the skull the government would seize it. Robert Lavinsky's Filing states: "Plaintiff Dr. Robert M. Lavinsky requests that the Court declare that the Government is barred by the statute of limitations to pursue any forfeiture claims of Dr. Lavinsky's Bataar Skull and declare that Dr. Lavinsky has unencumbered ownership and clear title of the Bataar Skull, and for all such other and further relief, at law and in equity, to which he must be justly entitled." Lavinsky has requested a declaratory injunction from the government, for them to state that he is the owner of the skull so that he can donate it to the center in Wyoming. Related Articles Fossil Discovery in Colorado Reveals New Details About Dinosaur MatingHow Dinosaurs Could Help Us Fight CancerDire Wolf 'Back From Extinction'-Could Woolly Mammoths, Dinosaurs Be Next?Dinosaurs: Groundbreaking Revelation Settles 30-Year-Old Debate 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Newsweek
Bob Vylan's Career Has Been Destroyed by Glastonbury Performance: Experts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Bob Vylan's career may be in trouble following their controversial performance at Glastonbury, experts tell Newsweek. Over the weekend, the English punk rap duo sparked outrage at the music festival in the United Kingdom. During their set, they led crowds in a chant of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israeli Defense Forces. On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation that has killed more than 56,400 people in Gaza, per the Associated Press. On Saturday, the Avon and Somerset Police said on X, formerly Twitter, that they were looking into "whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." In a separate post shared to the social media platform on Monday, authorities confirmed "a criminal investigation is now being undertaken." Bob Vylan will likely have a difficult time recovering from their Glastonbury performance, experts tell Newsweek. Bob Vylan will likely have a difficult time recovering from their Glastonbury performance, experts tell Newsweek. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva The BBC, which broadcast the music festival, issued an apology: "We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behavior appeared on the BBC and want to apologize to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC." Bob Vylan—who uses the stage names Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan—responded to backlash on Instagram on Tuesday. "We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine," they wrote. "We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction." Bob Vylan Suffers Consequences Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department revoked Bob Vylan's visas to the United States. "The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X on Monday. "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country." The duo was also dropped by their agent UTA, Deadline reported. Will Bob Vylan's Career Recover? Lauren Beeching, founder of crisis PR firm Honest London, told Newsweek it's "looking increasingly unlikely" that Bob Vylan's career will recover from Glastonbury. "The chant wasn't subtle or up for interpretation. 'Death to the IDF' was broadcast live by the BBC, and the response has been fast and serious," Beeching said. "They've lost their U.S. visas, were dropped by their American booking agency UTA, and the BBC pulled the footage while issuing public apologies. Ofcom has confirmed it is investigating, and there's a criminal inquiry underway. This is not a controversy you ride out with a break from social media." Eric Schiffer, CEO of Reputation Management Consultants, added: "Bob Vylan saw America's 40-city ATM blow into bits with one 'death to IDF' chant that turned a seven-figure tour into a cesspool of self destruction. UTA's kiss-off and a federal visa shred turned Bob Vylan from buzz band to biohazard. U.S. bookers now treat their name like smallpox on a set list. UTA ditching them is the real body-blow because agents equal oxygen." Bob Vylan was scheduled to open for singer Grandson's tour this fall. "When the State Department slaps a no-fly list on your Fender guitars, the merch table moves from Madison Square to Minsk and your rider drops from Dom Pérignon to bring your own," Schiffer continued. "Agents dump you, visas vanish, cops investigate—welcome to the triple-crown of attempted career suicide. The Glastonbury spot is now radioactive nostalgia—future lineups will treat their clip like a deathtrap warning reel." Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, performs on the West Holts stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England. Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, performs on the West Holts stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, Coleman, a crisis communication consultant and director of Amanda Coleman Communication Ltd, argued, however, that "the future of Bob Vylan is in the hands of their audience and whether they are prepared to continue to follow them despite this furor. "Even if the artist is prevented from traveling, they can continue to grow an audience online," Coleman explained. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, artists proved you could use social media and technology to stream and continue to grow an audience. If the social media companies cut them off, there will always be alternative channels to move onto." She added that "Bob Vylan have had more coverage since the Glastonbury Festival appearance, and many more people will know who they are." "I don't believe that all publicity is good publicity," Coleman said. "Their behavior has caused significant damage to them and has outraged many, but whether this is a fatal blow to their future is in the hands of their fans and followers." Bob Vylan's Net Worth Takes Big Hit Bob Vylan's net worth will most certainly be impacted after their Glastonbury set, Beeching tells Newsweek. "Touring is usually the main source of income for independent artists, and they were due to open for American singer Grandson's U.S. tour in October and November. That's now off the table following their visa revocation. The cancellation means lost fees, scrapped merch sales, and the breakdown of future international revenue," she shared. "Being dropped by UTA also ends access to global booking networks, corporate stages, and brand tie-ins. Even if those opportunities weren't fully developed yet, they were within reach. Now, anyone looking to work with them commercially would have to factor in reputational risk and likely backlash. That alone shrinks their options." Beeching said it was important to note that "being dropped by a booking agent like UTA is different from being dropped by a label." "Bob Vylan are independent and release music themselves. So while they don't have a label to sever ties with, losing agency support cuts off live revenue opportunities, tour planning, and international expansion," she explained. "You don't need a label to build a career anymore, but you do need access, and that's what's just been taken away." Beeching made it clear, however, that despite criticism, they will also "likely gain fans from this, especially those who view the backlash as censorship or hypocrisy." "They haven't been erased, but they have been repositioned." While Bob Vylan may also still earn money "through streaming, direct fan support and U.K. performances," the "ceiling has lowered." "From a PR and commercial strategy perspective, this shifts them from being a politically provocative act with growth potential to one the industry will now avoid. That doesn't mean financial collapse, but it does mean their future is far more limited than it was two weeks ago."
