The New York Office of the Inspector General would be investigating an alleged fraud carried out by officials of the Department of Motor Vehicles, who allegedly agreed to deliver driver’s licenses for undocumented persons to people who used the license to establish a false residence in the state and thus be able to claim fraudulently payments from the Excluded Workers Fund.
The investigation of the alleged fraud emerges just weeks after the state closed the application period after the fund’s $ 2.1 billion ran out, leaving thousands of New Yorkers empty-handed.
The state Department of Labor received more than 90,000 applications during the program’s first month alone and approved more than half of those forms by September 3. About 100,000 applicants are expected to receive payments of $ 15,600, while another 200,000 will receive payments of $ 3,200.
In early October, lawmakers like Senator Jessica Ramos and immigrant advocates noted that an inordinate number of New Yorkers were excluded from the program and asked Governor Hochul for more funding.
Investigators from the Office of the Inspector General visited the Albany office of the state Department of Motor Vehicles last month to interview officials regarding the alleged fraud scheme under the undocumented driver’s license program, it reported. Times Union.
Investigators reportedly detailed that a non-specific number of undocumented immigrants paid up to $ 3,000 or more to take driver’s license tests online, in addition to submitting fraudulent residency documents and false postal addresses.
The Office of the Inspector General suspects that hundreds of unqualified people were able to obtain state benefits even though they could live in other states, even outside the country, according to a source familiar with the case and cited by Times Union.
A spokesman for the Office of the Inspector General confirmed to the outlet Monday that it “has an ongoing investigation into possible misuse of the DMV driver’s license program,” but no further details were released.
It is unclear when the alleged fraud was detected or if the Labor Department is involved in the Inspector General’s investigation.
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