NYC MV inspectors charged with fraud

NEW YORK – Four New York City motor vehicle inspectors are charged with issuing more than 7,000 fraudulent inspection certificates to untested vehicles. Each defendant was charged with numerous felony counts for violations of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, Penal Law and Environmental Law, which could carry millions of dollars in fines and years in prison. 

According to the complaints, the defendants bypassed these procedures by performing "clean scans," a fraudulent process that substitutes data from a secondary vehicle. The inspector first entered the identification number, model information and license plate number for the vehicle in need of certification. The inspector then connected the DMV computer to a secondary vehicle, and used its data to "pass" the safety and emissions tests for the vehicle in need of certification. A fraudulent inspection certificate was issued for the untested vehicle, which would potentially have failed an inspection or was not even present. 

The complaint indicates that the defendants charged additional fees for "clean scans." Motor vehicle inspections are set at $37, but the "clean scans" brought in anywhere from $60 to $100, more than twice the legally authorized amount. 

The Attorney General's office along with the DMV and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) conducted an undercover operation at the four stations. An undercover investigator took a vehicle that was rigged to fail a legitimate motor vehicle inspection to each station, and each station provided passing inspection results to the vehicle even though the inspectors performed minimal or no actual inspection on it.    

The following individuals will be charged today:

• Arnulfo Echavarria, 61, of New York, a licensed DMV inspector and owner of GT Enterprises Auto Repair Shop ("G.T. Enterprises"), a licensed New York State motor vehicle inspection station located at 3644 Jerome Avenue, Bronx;
• Wil Ramon Manzueta, 21, of Bronx, a licensed DMV inspector and employee of All Prestige Muffler Inc. ("All Prestige"), a licensed New York State motor vehicle inspection station located at 1705 Jerome Avenue, Bronx;
• Reynaldo A. Medina, 41, of New York, a licensed inspector at A.R. Tire Center & Services ("A.R. Tire"), a licensed New York State motor vehicle inspection station located at 2895 Jerome Avenue, Bronx;  
• Cirilo Ventura, 45, of New York, a licensed DMV inspector and employee of 1995 First Avenue Station Inc. ("First Avenue Station"), a licensed New York State motor vehicle inspection station located at 1851 Park Avenue, New York.

The defendants are all being charged with Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony that carries a maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.  Other charges include Issuing a False Certificate, a class E felony carrying a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years in jail, and Illegal Issuance of an Emission Certificate of Inspection, an unclassified misdemeanor that carries a fine of $15,000 per count, which could subject defendants to millions of dollars in fines if they were to be convicted of all counts.  

"These individuals were trusted to perform state-required inspections that keep unsafe cars off the road, but instead they took advantage of their expertise to cheat the system," Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. "My office has zero tolerance for misconduct that puts New Yorkers at risk, and will continue to hold accountable those who commit these crimes."

For more information on these matters, please call our offices at 305 548 5020.

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