Overview

• Seven defendants were charged, including DMV supervisor Kanaisha Middleton, her sister Jamie Middleton, DMV employees Satoya Mitchell and Tawana Whitfield, Town of Hempstead employees James Nurse and Rene Sarduy, and applicant Omesh Mohan.
• Prosecutors say Jamie Middleton posed as absent applicants between March and September 2023, taking nine knowledge exams and passing eight, including two tests within five minutes on May 23, 2023.
• The alleged ring charged $1,500 to $3,000 per test while insiders processed permits for no-show applicants at the Garden City DMV office.
• The case began after a DMV employee spotted a disguise and alerted the State Inspector General, leading to a joint investigation with Nassau County prosecutors.
• All defendants have been arraigned and are due back in court in November; only one applicant, James Nurse, later passed a road test and used the license for municipal work before the town moved to fire him, and the charges carry potential two- to seven-year prison terms if convicted.