Investigations

On March 28, 2017, Calvin Foulks and Michelle Reed, former employees of the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), pleaded guilty in Michigan State Court, Detroit, to forgery and bribery for their role in a CDL fraud scheme. Foulks, of Southfield, Michigan, and Reed, of Novi, Michigan, also agreed to pay restitution to the city of Detroit in the amounts of $1,000 and $625 respectively.

 

In February 2017, Foulks and Reed self-surrendered after arrest warrants were issued by the State of Michigan Attorney General’s Office. Both were arraigned on felony charges for taking more than $4,000 in cash bribes in return for falsifying multiple Michigan Department of State documents. The forged documents stated that applicants had taken and passed the CDL skills test when, in fact, they had not. The Michigan Secretary of State, as a result of this investigation and the State’s strong anti-fraud initiative, invalidated 85 CDL tests. Affected drivers were required to retest before their CDL driving privileges could be restored.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with assistance from the Detroit Area Public Corruption Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Detroit Police Department-Internal Affairs, and the State of Michigan Attorney General’s Office.