Investigations
Former California DMV Employee Sentenced in CDL Bribery Scheme
USAO, Eastern District of California - Press ReleaseOn November 3, 2022, Shawana Denise Harris was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California of conspiracy to commit bribery, identity fraud, and unauthorized access of a computer. On the same date, Harris was sentenced to 5 years of incarceration, 2 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
In April 2022, Harris, a former California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employee, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for fraudulently updating test scores for people pursuing commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). For at least 185 CDL applicants, Harris accessed DMV computers to enter fraudulent test scores indicating the applicants had passed written and/or driving tests, which was not true. Harris and a co-conspirator were typically paid at least $1,500 per applicant, resulting in approximately $277,500 in bribes.
DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with the FBI, California DMV, and Homeland Security Investigations.