Feds say trucking owner was ‘wiring up’ CDL test takers to help them cheat

The owner of an Illinois trucking company is facing federal charges of conspiracy for allegedly helping individuals cheat on the written portion of the commercial driver’s license exam.

Mykola Datkun, owner of Island Lake, Ill.-based Maximum Services, is accused of using electronic communication devices to relay test answers to individuals taking the CDL written test. Prosecutors claim that Mykola and others perpetrated the scheme from 2019 through 2022.

In Illinois, CDL applicants take the written portion of the test on a computer and are allowed to listen to the questions via headphones. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Datkun used this to his advantage.

According to court documents, Datkun directed individuals attempting to cheat on the test to his facility in Island Lake.

Prosecutors have claimed that he and his co-conspirators would tell the testers to take the audio version of the test and to place the headphones around their necks – within listening distance of a concealed microphone.

Upon arriving, Datkun and others provided an earpiece and microphone to test takers that would be linked to their phones. The testers then would place a call to Datkun or one of his co-conspirators, allowing them to hear the test questions and relay the correct answers in real time.

Court documents suggest that Datkun and his accomplices charged “at least $500” for their help to cheat on the exam.

The cheating scheme is alleged to have been perpetrated at multiple state facilities, but the allegations do not include state employees.

A report from the Chicago Tribune showed that in 2022, two separate undercover sources went “through the process” of obtaining a fraudulent CDL from Datkun and his company.

He is charged by information rather than by grand jury indictment. In most instances, charges like this end with a guilty plea. Datkun’s case was set for arraignment on Wednesday, Feb. 21.

Steven Shanin, a Chicago-based attorney representing Datkun in the case, did not immediately respond to Land Line’s request for comment. LL