3 arrested after using tech equipment in driver’s license cheating scheme: MDSO

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested three men Wednesday following an investigation into a scheme to cheat on Florida driver’s license exams.

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The plan involved the people taking the test wearing earpieces and polo shirts with cameras and microphones hidden in them so someone listening outside the exam site could provide the correct answers, according to the men’s arrest reports.

On Tuesday, a Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle compliance officer told a sheriff’s office detective that 47-year-old Miguel Nunez Garcia was scheduled to take an exam at a testing site at 7795 West Flagler Street after failing it multiple times, according to his arrest report.

He began taking the test, but left without completing it, detectives said. He then came back Wednesday, and detectives watched as he arrived in a white truck driven by 46-year-old Karel Clavel-Beltran, who the sheriff’s office says solicits Spanish-speaking clients seeking to take the exams, which by state law are administered only in English.

Before entering the building, Nunez Garcia handed Clavel-Beltran cash, detectives said.

Nunez Gonzalez passed the test this time, and detectives saw him leave the building and hand Clavel-Beltran a purple polo shirt in exchange for a white T-shirt, according to the report. Detectives approached the truck, and after speaking with Nunez Gonzalez, realized he only spoke Spanish, the report states.

According to the report, Nunez Garcia admitted cheating on the test using the electronic equipment hidden in the polo shirt.

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After being read his rights, Clavel-Beltran told detectives that he was in charge of the cheating scheme and obtains clients who hear about him through word of mouth and pay him $300-$400, according to the report. He also said he hides the recording equipment in the shirts, the report states.

Another man, Alexis Fernandez, 63, was also arrested in connection with the scheme. His arrest report was not immediately available, but he was arrested on the same charge as Nunez Garcia — unlawful use of a communication device to cheat, according to jail records.

On Thursday, he was in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond.

After arresting Clavel-Beltran, detectives discovered he had two registered driver’s licenses, one under a false name, Miguel Angel Martinez Santiago, according to the arrest report. He also has an outstanding warrant for cannabis trafficking, according to jail records.

Both Clavel-Beltran and Nunez Garcia are also in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and are being held on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers, according to jail records.

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Information about legal counsel for the three men was not immediately available.