MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Three men were arrested Wednesday after one of them helped the others cheat on their driver license exams in Miami-Dade County, authorities said.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects as Karel Clavel-Beltran, 46, of Hialeah; Alexis Franc Fernandez, 63, of Tampa; and Miguel Nunez-Garcia, 47, of Miami.
According to an MDSO press release, “Clavel-Beltran used strategically placed cameras and earpieces to help Mr. Miguel Nunez-Garcia and Mr. Alexis Fernandez cheat on the computer-based driver license examination.”
Nunez-Garcia’s arrest report states that he had failed the exam multiple times before passing Wednesday. The report notes that Nunez-Garcia does not understand English and the test is solely administered in English following a law that took effect on Feb. 6.
According to the report, Nunez-Garcia admitted that he was wearing a purple Polo shirt equipped with a “button camera” and an earpiece as Clavel-Beltran provided him the answers to the exam while he took it at the Midway Crossings Tax Collector Office at 7795 W. Flagler St.
He said he paid Clavel-Beltran $600 for his assistance, authorities said.
According to a separate arrest report, Fernandez also took the exam Wednesday at the Midway Crossings location and was spotted by a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles compliance officer entering a white truck in a gray T-shirt and then exiting the truck wearing a Polo shirt.
Deputies said it is common practice for people to wear a Polo shirt to hide recording devices during exams and then change their attire once the exam is completed.
According to the report, Fernandez was detained after the exam and he too could not understand English, despite taking the exam in English.
Deputies said Fernandez admitted that Clavel-Beltran provided him the earpiece and Polo shirt with the button camera to help him pass the exam, but he still failed because he was unable to hear Clavel-Beltran through the earpiece.
According to the report, Fernandez said he brought a “large amount of cash” with him to pay Clavel-Beltran for his services, but he was detained by an investigator before he could pay him.
Fernandez and Nunez-Garcia were arrested on charges of cheating and unlawful use of a communications device.
Clavel-Beltran, meanwhile, was arrested on charges of organized scheme to defraud, cheating, unlawful use of a communications device and providing a false name/ID after arrest.
“Obtaining a driver license is a privilege that comes with the responsibility of safely operating a vehicle on our roadways,” MDSO said in a statement. “When someone attempts to cheat the testing process, they undermine the integrity of the system and put the safety of our community at risk.
“MDSO remains committed to protecting the integrity of the licensing process and ensuring that only qualified drivers earn the privilege to get behind the wheel. Attempts to obtain a driver license through fraud or deception will not be tolerated, and those who try to circumvent the law will be investigated and held accountable.”
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