Trucking School Owner Sentenced To Over Four Years For Conspiring To Commit Bribery And Identity Fraud With Dmv Employees

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Mangal Gill, 58, of San Ramon, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. to 4 years and 3 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery and identity fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Gill owned Central Truck Driving School, which had locations in Fremont, Lathrop, Fresno, and Salinas. Between April 2012 and April 2015, Gill conspired with employees of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and others to fraudulently obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) for Gill’s truck school students and others who did not take or pass the written or the behind-the-wheel driving examinations. Gill received money from those wishing to obtain a CDL and, in turn, paid bribes to the DMV employees, who would access the DMV’s database to alter records indicating that the individuals had passed tests when, in fact, they had not passed them or, in some instances, taken any examination at all. As a result, individuals were able to obtain driver’s licenses, including commercial licenses to operate tractor-trailer trucks and passenger buses, without having taken and passed the requisite written or behind-the-wheel driving tests.

In sentencing Gill, Judge Burrell referred to the criminal conduct as “egregious” and potentially endangering the safety of the public.

This case is the product of a series of ongoing investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and the California DMV, Office of Internal Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Todd A. Pickles and Rosanne Rust are prosecuting the case.

Co-defendant Andrew Kimura, a DMV employee, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and identity fraud and was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison. Co-defendant Robert Turchin, a DMV employee, was convicted after a jury trial and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9, 2018.  Co-defendant Pavittar Dosangh Singh pleaded guilty and is also scheduled for sentencing on November 9, 2018. Emma Klem, another DMV employee, and Kulwinder Dosanjh Singh, a broker, also previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and identity fraud as part of the same investigation in United States v. Klem, 2:15-cr-00139 GEB, and United States v. Kulwinder Dosanjh, 2:15-cr-00146 GEB, respectively. They are scheduled for sentencing on November 16, 2018.

They face a maximum statutory penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.