July 2, 2025
Kyle Lawson
July 2, 2025
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It was a multi-layered criminal endeavor that officials say could still impact any New York City driver on any day, while also posing a threat to national security.
State and federal law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced several arrests for an alleged scheme in which countless individuals were issued driver’s permits and licenses on Staten Island without having to pass the exams. Most, if not all, of the applicants were Chinese immigrants.
A joint investigation revealed countless acts of tampering with state records and identity theft carried out by a Queens-based driving school in conjunction with DMV workers on Staten Island, officials said Tuesday.
“This takedown sends a strong message that the integrity of our institutions and the safety of our communities will not be compromised,” said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in regard to a 139-count indictment in state Supreme Court, St. George.
“We will hold accountable anyone who abuses their public office, circumvents the law or undermines the systems that millions of Americans rely on in good faith.”
According to authorities, the illegal operation was carried out like this:
T&E driving school, located on Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing, Queens, would use social media to solicit clients, specifically targeting Chinese immigrants who speak Fujianese, many of whom are not U.S. citizens.
The school charged $1,600 for a license if the applicant already had a permit, or $2,000 for both a learner’s permit and license. An employee for the school would then either take the exams and road tests posing as the applicants, or the DMV examiners being paid off would bypass the tests and issue the permits and licenses.
The DMV workers were being compensated for their participation, though it is unclear how much, authorities noted.
The DMV road testing sites eyed by authorities were Dugdale, in Oakwood; Lenevar, in Woodrow, and Staten Island 2, in Mariners Harbor. Officials, meanwhile, say they wouldn’t be shocked if similar schemes were being carried out elsewhere in the city in what remains an ongoing investigation.
It’s unclear how many clients of T&E have received fraudulent licenses over the years, though it’s estimated that a single DMV examiner on Staten Island administers about 1,500 tests per year, officials said.
In executing arrest warrants in the case, investigators seized 150 permits handed over to T&E in the process of obtaining fraudulent licenses.
Among those charged in the case are the owner, secretary and an employee of T&E Driving School: Weixan Tan, 38; Weiwan Tan, 40, and Winnie Yang, 36, respectively.
All three defendants have shared the same address on Malone Avenue in Oakwood, public records show.
Also named in the indictment are two employees of the driving school who acted as substitute test takers for license recipients: Wenfeng Yang, 38, of Staten Island, and a woman known to authorities but yet to be identified.
The DMV workers who were allegedly paid off to issue fake exam grades, fraudulently hand out licenses and tamper with the DMV database are Staten Island residents Edward Tarik Queen, 40, of Elm Park; Aji Idicula, 43, of Willowbrook, and Tianna Rose Andolina, 30, of Arden Heights.
“The state employees indicted here sold out not just the safety of their fellow New Yorkers, but they sold out their oaths of office,” said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. “The conduct uncovered in this investigation represents a shocking betrayal of public trust.”
Most of the defendants named in the indictment each face a top felony count that carries a maximum sentence of 2 to 7 years in prison if convicted by a jury.
They all are due back in state Supreme Court, St. George, on Sept. 3, online records show. The lead prosecutor in the case is Economic Crimes Bureau Chief Gregg Brown.
Others eyed by authorities are redacted from the indictment, as sources say they have so far eluded law enforcement.
The illegal operation also raises concerns about security in certain buildings and airplanes that require a state identification card to enter or board, officials said Tuesday.
“As alleged, the defendants utilized deceptive social media practices and strategic advertising that targeted and exploited members of the Chinese community, and guaranteed individuals driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status, language, and even their ability to actually operate a vehicle,” said Homeland Security Investigations New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel.
“Today’s announcement underscores the HSI New York El Dorado Task Force’s unrelenting focus on dismantling and disrupting fraud schemes that exploit vulnerable communities and jeopardize the public’s safety.”
‘Operation Road Test’
Authorities were first tipped off by individuals within the DMV about irregularities in the system regarding test scheduling. So an undercover detective with the NYPD who speaks Fujianese contacted the driving school.
He provided a learner’s permit and $1,600 to obtain a license.
After setting a date to take the road test on Staten Island, the school contacted him and informed him he did not have to show up. Sometime thereafter, he received a state-issued license.
Case has ‘far reaching’ implications, officials say
Agencies that participated in “Operation Road Test” included the New York state inspector general, U.S. postal inspector, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Homeland Security Investigations and NYPD.
Officials said anyone who has knowingly obtained a license by fraudulent means also faces legal ramifications. Coming forward would be in their best interest, McMahon said. “It would go a long way in mitigating the punishment they might face,” said McMahon.
To contact authorities in that regard, members of the public can call the New York State Inspector General’s Office at 1-800-367-4448.