A New York truck driver was sentenced in federal court last week for his part in a plot to use spying devices to help non-English speakers fraudulently obtain commercial drivers licenses.
On December 6, Queens-based truck driver Aziz Akhrorov was sentenced to time served and issued a $1000 fine after he pled guilty charges of conspiracy to unlawfully produce commercial drivers licenses. The conspiracy took place between 2014 and 2016, according to court documents.
Federal authorities say that Akhrorov’s scheme involved recruiting CDL applicants in the state of New York who were usually of Russian descent and who often didn’t know enough English to pass a CDL exam.
After recruiting the CDL students in New York, Akhrorov would send them to his partner Taras Chabanovych in Florida.
Chabanovych would provide the CDL students with bogus residency documents so that they could take their tests in Florida. Then, Chabanovych would provide the students with sophisticated “spying” devices composed of cellphones, batteries, and wires for them to wear during their CDL tests.
Through the devices, the students would receive correct answers from Chabanovych during their exams.
The students reportedly paid Chabanovych as much as $2,600 for help in obtaining a CDL through fraudulent means. Akhrorov would be paid $500 per CDL student who was referred to Chabanovych.
Chabanovych also pled guilty to conspiracy charges and was sentenced in October to time served, two years of probation, and forfeiture of property.