Eastern District of California Completes Prosecution of 20 Defendants in DMV Corruption Cases

DOJ Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today the completion of prosecutions of 20 defendants in a series of DMV corruption cases charged in the Eastern District of California. Charges against the defendants included bribery of public officials, identity fraud, unauthorized access of computers, and conspiracies to commit those offenses. The defendants included corrupt DMV employees who took bribes, trucking school owners and affiliates who bribed them, and others who participated in the conspiracies. The criminal activities charged in these cases took place throughout California, including the Central Valley, Los Angeles Basin, and as far north as Eureka.

Defendants helped put unqualified commercial drivers on the nation’s highways operating large commercial vehicles even though those drivers had not passed the necessary written and driving tests. DMV employees accepted bribes to enter fraudulent test scores for applicants who had not even taken the tests or who could not pass them. Various trucking schools in California looked for corrupt DMV employees they could bribe to help failing or unqualified students get their commercial licenses anyway. In total, hundreds of fraudulent commercial driver license permits and licenses were issued as a part of these schemes, jeopardizing public safety.

Every defendant charged in the cases has now been convicted and sentenced, except for one who passed away prior to trial. The convicted defendants and their sentences are:

Defendant’s Name

Case Number

Sentence

Shawana Harris

2:17-cr-210 TLN

60 months

Robert Turchin

2:15-cr-161 WBS

51 months

Mangal Gill

2:15-cr-161 WBS

51 months

Andrew Kimura

2:15-cr-161 WBS

46 months & $7,500 fine

Lisa Terraciano

2:17-cr-187 KJM

40 months & $500 fine

Jagpal Singh, aka “Paul”

2:17-cr-210 TLN

39 months

Donald Freeman

2:17-cr-207 KJM

37 months

David Sun

2:17-cr-223 KJM

37 months

Kari Scattaglia

2:17-cr-187 KJM

32 months & $1,000 fine

Rahim Mahboob

2:17-cr-213 GEB

27 months & $58,500 fine

Damanpreet Singh

2:18-cr-89 GEB

24 months

Emma Klem

2:15-cr-139 GEB

23 months

Aaron Gilliam

2:17-cr-200 KJM

22 months

Kulwinder Dosangh Singh, aka“Sandhu” and “Sodhi”

2:15-cr-146 GEB

19 months

Juan Arturo Arroyo Gomez

2:17-cr-207 KJM

12 months

Pavitar Dosangh Singh

2:15-cr-161 WBS

10 months

Parminder Singh

2:17-cr-210 TLN

Time served with 11 months home confinement

Poya Khanjan

2:17-cr-212 JAM

Time served with 6 months home confinement & $9,500 fine

Ruvila “Ruby” Lima

2:17-cr-212 JAM

Time served & $500 fine

Tajinder Singh

2:17-cr-210 TLN

Time served with 7 months home confinement & $5,500 fine

 

Defendants Terraciano and Sun later had their sentences reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic under the CARES Act.


These cases were the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rosanne L. Rust and Christopher S. Hales prosecuted the cases.


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