South Carolina Man Indicted for Making False Statements in Connection with Third Party CDL Testing

From: Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General

On June 9, 2015, Thomas Lindsey was indicted in U.S. District Court, Greenville, South Carolina, on charges of false statements related to the unauthorized administering of commercial driver's license (CDL) tests.

Thomas Lindsey was approved by the State of South Carolina as a third party tester, solely for the administration of CDL testing to employees of the North Spartanburg Fire Department (NSFD). However, the indictment alleges that he administered CDL testing to drivers who were not employed by the NSFD. Additionally, he did not require all drivers to perform vehicle pre-trip inspections, basic controls or road tests, and utilized unapproved locations to conduct testing. Lindsey collected fees from each individual to whom he administered the unauthorized CDL tests, and instructed drivers to deliver fraudulently completed skills test forms to various SC Department of Motor Vehicles locations.

We are conducting this investigation with assistance from FMCSA and the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Inspector General.

Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.