Thread: N.Y. HSI arrests couple involved in a commercial driver's license scheme

I.C.E. News Release

March 1, 2012
New York, NY

HSI arrests couple involved in a commercial driver's license scheme

NEW YORK — A couple has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud in a driver's license test-taking scheme. The arrests are a result of an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), U.S. Department of Transportation, New York City Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

Ying Wai Phillip Ng, 47, and his wife, Pui Kuen Ng, 47, allegedly helped an undercover agent (UC) cheat on the written commercial driver's license (CDL) test offered by the DMV.

"The defendants charged today allegedly sought to defraud the state of New York and profit by providing commercial driver's licenses to individuals who did not possess the skills necessary to acquire such credentials and, as a result, have greatly endangered the general public in the state of New York and elsewhere," said James T. Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. "This investigation highlights how HSI investigates a broad spectrum of criminal activity that threatens public safety and national security."

"We must be able to trust that those who drive buses and trucks on our nation's highways meet stringent standards for safety and competency. Lives depend upon it," said U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch, Eastern District of New York. "As charged in the complaint, the defendants put the public – passengers, pedestrians and drivers alike – at grave risk in order to line their own pockets. This office will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who seek to undermine public safety for commercial gain."

The DMV administers a multiple-choice written test for applicants seeking a CDL to operate buses and trucks above a certain size. The defendants operated a driving school in Brooklyn known as N&Y Professional Service Line (N&Y), which is licensed by the DMV to offer courses and training to applicants seeking a CDL.

According to court documents, in January 2012, the UC visited N&Y's offices posing as a prospective bus driver who wanted to obtain a CDL. The UC spoke with the defendant Pui Kuen Ng in Mandarin, and told her he could not speak English well enough to pass the written test. Pui Kuen Ng told the UC that, in exchange for $1,800, she could ensure that the UC passed the test, which is administered only in English and Spanish.

On Feb. 1, 2012, Ying Wai Phillip Ng picked up the UC in a minivan and drove him to the parking lot outside the Staten Island office of the DMV. Once there, he allegedly gave the UC a jacket containing a hidden camera and instructed the UC to wear the jacket while taking the test. Ying Wai Phillip Ng then showed the UC a television screen in the minivan, which received images from the hidden camera. Ying Wai Phillip Ng then clipped a beeper on the UC's belt and explained that the UC should point the camera at each test question, so Ying Wai Phillip Ng could read the question on the television screen in the minivan. Ying Wai Phillip Ng told the UC that if the answer to a particular test question was "A," the beeper would buzz twice; if the answer was "B," the beeper would buzz four times; and if the answer was "C," the beeper would buzz six times. Ying Wai Phillip Ng allegedly told the UC not to worry and that he had been helping people pass the written test this way for ten years.

The UC then entered the Staten Island DMV office and took the CDL written test, pointing the camera in the jacket sleeve at each question and filling out answers as instructed based on the vibrations of the beeper. The UC passed the test, returned to the minivan in the parking lot and paid Ying Wai Phillip Ng $1,800 in cash.

As set forth in a detention letter filed by the government, the investigation revealed that more than 720 applicants associated with N&Y have taken the CDL road test since January 2010. One such applicant later drove a bus involved in a fatal crash in Virginia, in which four passengers were killed and dozens injured.

If convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423 or complete our tip form.

U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

HSI arrests couple involved in a commercial driver's license scheme

Feds: Skybus driver may have cheated on driving exam

Posted on: 6:36 pm, March 2, 2012

Charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a bush crash last May that killed four women


BOWLING GREEN, Va. (WTVR) – The man behind the wheel of a deadly tour bus crash in Caroline County may have cheated on his driving test, according federal court documents recently filed in New York, now obtained by CBS 6 News.

On March 1, New York authorities busted N&Y Professional Service line driving school in Brooklyn, and collected evidence against the owners Ying Wai Phillip Ng and his wife, Pui Kuen Ng.

Police accused the Ng’s of helping more than 700 people cheat on their commercial driving test.

Among their clients, Kin Yeu Chung.

“There appears to be strong circumstantial evidence that he obtained his commercial drivers license by fraud,”, said Caroline County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Tony Spencer.

Spencer is building a case against Cheung, charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in a bush crash last May that killed four women. Cheung allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel.

According to federal court documents, Cheung took the driving test in Brooklyn on May 11, 2010 – almost a year to the day of the bus crash. Court documents also indicate that Cheung may have cheated on the test.

“If he`s willing to drive this bus when he`s not only too tired to drive, but that he knows he obtained his license by fraud I think that would show that he was showing a reckless and callous disregard for human life,” said Spencer.

The dispatcher also faces manslaughter charges. He’s accused of telling Cheung to drive, even though Cheung told him he was too tired.

Spencer says if he can prove that Zhao Jian Chen knew Cheung took the test fraudulently, it can be used against him in court.

“Showing a callous and reckless indifference to human life,”, said Spencer.

What’s more, Spencer says if he can prove that Cheung cheated on his commercial driving exam, then he’s going to research if there is a possibility of bringing involuntary manslaughter charges against the couple who ran the driving school.

In the wake of this investigation, we asked New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg his thoughts.

“It`s very worrisome but you know, we don`t want to be intruding in people`s freedom, but government regulation in keeping people safe is something we`re supposed to do. That`s why we have government,”, said Bloomberg.


WTVR.com