Latest news with #driverslicenses
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brockton driving school owner pleads guilty to RMV scheme, paying more than $20K in bribes
A 71-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday, June 11, in federal court in Boston to charges he bribed a Brockton Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) road test examiner to issue drivers licenses to people who did not pass — or some cases even take — their road test, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's office announced in a written statement. Carlos Cardoso, 71, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to one count each of honest services mail fraud and conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, the U.S. Attorney's office wrote. Cardoso was the owner of a driving school when he paid more than $20,000 in cash bribes to a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent or manufacture road test scores, causing the RMV to mail drivers licenses to thousands of unqualified individuals, the U.S Attorney's office said. Honest mail services fraud and conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a prison sentence of up to 20 years each. Cardoso is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 11, 2025. On Feb. 15, 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) reported that the RMV had determined 2,100 drivers were given road test passing scores by two road test examiners at the Brockton Service Center without taking the road test. The state sent letters to those customers who did not complete the road test and notified them that they would be required to take and pass a road test within 10 days. Those who did not take the road test within 10 days would have their licenses suspended. Of the 1,074 road tests conducted for the more than 2,000 drivers involved, 381 people passed their exam while 693 failed, according to reporting by WCVB. This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Driving school owner pleads guilty to Brockton RMV bribery scheme
Fast Company
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Fast Company
The new Real IDs are the ultimate example of design compromise
Real ID, the new format for driver's licenses and state IDs in the U.S., shows how design can set federal standards while minimizing federal oversight. When Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, it was an attempt to standardize minimum security requirements for state IDs and driver's licenses nationwide, as well as make consistent the forms of identity recipients needed to show to get an ID. On the surface, it might seem like a simple ask, but in practice, the legislation butted up against privacy concerns and ideological opposition to federal overreach. About half of states opposed the law after it passed, and 13 passed laws to prohibit their states from complying, according to The Washington Post, including Arizona, whose governor at the time, Janet Napolitano, called it an ' unfunded federal mandate.' The ACLU said it would 'bring government into the very center of every citizen's life.' IDs have a new standards manual It took 20 years and multiple deadline extensions to fully enact the law, which requires that applicants have two proofs of residency, proof of identity and legal residence, and a Social Security card or W-2 form that includes a Social Security number to be eligible. Even today, lingering anxieties over the idea of a federal ID can be found on the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) website. On its frequently asked questions page, the agency shoots down a question about supposedly building a national database. 'Real ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card,' DHS says. 'Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances. The purpose of Real ID is to make our identity documents more consistent and secure.' Real IDs, real design differences Under America's federal system, issuing driver's licenses is the responsibility of the state, but with Real ID, the federal government sets some design standards. The new IDs must contain certain personal information about the card holder, like legal name and birthdate, a machine-readable barcode, and physical security features of states' choosing to prevent forgery, like holograms, hard-to-print patterns, or UV florescent ink. New IDs that meet these minimum requirements, or Real IDs, are identified with a star icon in the top right corner of the card front, but the law leaves some room for creative interpretation. It's safe to say that some states incorporate the star icon in more interesting ways than others. While most states show the star icon inside a simple circle, there are a few standout designs for the tiny mark. California displays its star icon inside a grizzly bear, which is its state animal and also appears on its state flag. Maine, Michigan, and Nevada place the star icon within an outline of the state's map. Ohio's star symbol appears next to a green rendering of the state, and South Carolina similarly places its star next to a red illustration of the state. Washington is the only state to not use a star, and instead denotes its Real IDs with a U.S. flag.
