Mississippi man sentenced for fraudulently issuing CDLs
A Mississippi CDL examiner was sentenced for his role in fraudulently granting CDL certifications well after he was fired from his job at a third-party CDL training and certification company, according at U.S. Department of Transportation news release.
On Oct. 2, Derrious Dillon was sentenced to two years of imprisonment, one year of supervised release and a $1,500 partial fine. In January, Dillon had pleaded guilty to charges following an investigation by the U.S. DOT, Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Dillon had worked for a company that trained and certified people looking to obtain a CDL, but his employment was terminated in 2014. The circumstances of his termination are unknown. However, court documents reveal that from 2014 through Sept. 23, 2016, Dillon continued to certify CDL applicants.
According to a DOT news release, Dillon obtained a list of authorized CDL instructors in Mississippi, including their identification numbers. He used that information when filling out fraudulent paperwork.
In exchange for the fraudulent certifications, Dillon received anywhere from $200 to $400 for each certification. CDL applicants would take the fraudulent paperwork to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to complete the CDL process.
Investigators were told by some of the CDL holders that they never took the required tests.
Dillon was indicted on three charges in June 2017, including aggravated identity theft, falsification of records in federal investigations and false statements. On Jan. 9, Dillon pleaded guilty to the aggravated identity theft charge. He faced up to two years in prison, three years supervised release and fines up to $250,000.