A former California Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) employee was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for his part in a fraudulent commercial driver’s license scheme.
Aaron Gilliam pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, identity fraud and unauthorized access of a computer in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Gilliam, who processed applications for CDLs, accessed the DMV’s database and “altered CDL applicants’ records to show that they had passed the written examination” when, in fact, they had not passed. Some applicants had not even taken the test.
At least 57 fraudulent CDLs and permits were issued by Gilliam in exchange for money between April 2016 and July 2017 at the DMV office in Hollywood, according to the U. S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General.
Court documents said that Gilliam worked with two co-conspirators, known as “Broker D and Broker E,” who were owners of truck driving schools in Southern California. Truck driving students would pay money to the two brokers, who, in turn, would pay Gilliam and other DMV employees, to receive their CDL licenses without “having to take or pass the written and behind-the-wheel driving examinations.”
Gilliam has been ordered to report to prison on Oct. 25. He will also serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment fee.
