Female defendant wore fake beard as part of CDL cheating scheme that led to seven indicted, New York DA says

Several people, including three New York State Department of Motor Vehicles workers, are facing serious charges related to a scheme “to cheat on commercial driver’s license (CDL) exams and process permits for no-show applicants,” according to authorities.

Seven Indicted In Commercial License Cheating Scheme

On October 9, 2025, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office (NCDAO) announced a 51-count indictment related to a CDL exam cheating scheme uncovered at a Garden City Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in New York State.

The indictment charges three New York State DMV employees, the sister of one of the employees, and three CDL permit applicants, including two Town of Hempstead employees.

Former DMV Supervisor Kanaisha Middleton, 33, Motor Vehicle Representative Tawanna Whitfield, 36, Motor Vehicle Representative Satoya Mitchell, 35, and Kanaisha Middleton’s sister, Jamie Middleton, 35, face charges of:

• Impairing the Integrity of a Government Licensing Examination (a D felony)
• Corrupting the Government in the Fourth Degree (an E felony)
• Tampering with Public Records in the First Degree (a D felony)
• Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree (an E felony)
• Falsifying Business Records in the Second Degree (an A misdemeanor)

Additionally, CDL permit applicants James Nurse, 42, Omesh Mohan, 42, and Rene Sarduy, 44, face charges of:

• Tampering with Public Records in the First Degree
• Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree

‘Fake Facial Hair’ Part Of Disguises Used In CDL Scheme

An investigation into the scheme began when a supervisor in the Garden City branch of the DMV reported to  the New York State Inspector General’s Office that employees were processing CDL permit applications without applicants sitting for the required tests at the DMV location.

Officials said that surveillance video revealed that for several months, Jamie Middleton wore disguises to take the tests in place of the applicants:

“According to the investigation and surveillance video obtained from DMV, on six separate dates between March 2023 and September 2023, Jamie Middleton, sister of DMV supervisor Kanaisha Middleton, allegedly approached DMV employees dressed in various disguises and purported to be different CDL and class “D” permit applicants seeking to take the exams.

Middleton was allegedly dressed in baggy clothing, facemasks, construction jackets and fake facial hair when she approached DMV employees to gain access to the testing room.

On each of the dates, Middleton was allegedly given access to the testing room by MVRs Tawanna Whitfield and Satoya Mitchell, participants in the scheme, despite Middleton’s appearance not matching the identification and DMV records for the applicants for whom she was posing.

On May 23, 2023, Middleton allegedly took exams for two applicants, defendants Rene Sarduy, a Town of Hempstead Department of Highway employee, and Omesh Mohan, less than five minutes apart and wearing the exact same clothing.

Mohan and Sarduy allegedly both went to different DMV locations in Springfield Gardens and Bethpage in the following days to provide their paperwork and obtain their interim permits.“

Officials said that Middleton allegedly took nine CDL exams in this period and passed the test eight times for seven applicants, though six of those applicants were never issued full CDLs.

Nurse, who was employed with the Town of Hempstead Sanitation Department, received an interim permit on August 16, 2023, at the Massapequa branch of the DMV after Middleton reportedly took his exam two days before in Garden City.

Nurse was issued a full CDL license on September 28, 2023, and used the license to drive recycling trucks for the Sanitation Department.

Mohan and Sarduy were never issued full CDLs and the investigation determined that Mohan failed the CDL road test.

“This scheme was an unbelievable organized breach of public trust and the trust of millions of drivers using Long Island’s roads. A ring of DMV employees who, working together, allegedly manipulated the commercial driver’s license exam process, allowing no-show applicants to cheat the system and skip their tests – giving them CDL permits that they did not earn and were not qualified to hold,” said DA Donnelly. “At least one applicant, a Town of Hempstead Sanitation Department employee, was issued a full CDL license which he used to operate recycling trucks in our neighborhoods. Safely driving large trucks on our roads requires understanding the rules. A single second hesitation or misjudgment could spell catastrophe. These defendants demonstrated for the right price they would sell out their integrity and the safety of others. That breakdown posed a risk to us all, and with the assistance of our partners at the New York State Inspector General’s Office, we uncovered this scheme and put an end to it.”

“The state employees charged in this 51-count indictment sold out not just the safety of their fellow New Yorkers, but they sold out their oaths of office,” said Inspector General Lucy Lang. “This is now the second corruption scheme my office uncovered this year involving DMV employees who saw public service not as the privilege that it is, but as a permission slip for corruption. Thank you to Nassau District Attorney Donnelly and her team for their partnership and to the Department of Motor Vehicles for their initial referral and cooperation.”

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 2-1/3 to 7 years in prison.