Fake CDL scheme revealed in Florida

Last week, Florida authorities arrested three people who were fraudulently obtained a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

Arizona residents Plamen Dimitrov Nenkov, 55, Katya Ivanova Nenkova, 51, and North Miami resident Biser Emilov Popov, 52, were arrested by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. They are accused of using false information to obtain a driver’s license and perjury.

The two men and one woman passed a Class A computer-based driver’s license exam using the documents to provide proof of residency in Collier County.

Florida is known to require CDL applicants to be state residents.

Recently, Collier County has received several reports of a high number of “out-of-state foreigners” seeking a Florida driver’s license. Many people come to Florida to get CDL for jobs elsewhere because it is “cheaper and faster.”

The sheriff’s office found that Popov was not involved in the fraud involving Nenkov and Nenkova. However, analysis of his driver’s license history revealed similar fraud pattern – Popov did not live at the Collier County address listed on his proof of residence document.

“Nenkov and Nenkova told detectives they are married and that they were born in Bulgaria and immigrated to the U.S. a few years ago. They said they had arrived in Florida the night before from Arizona. When detectives asked the couple if they lived at the Collier County address listed on their proof of residency documents, they said they did not. Detectives also contacted the current resident and property manager who confirmed the couple didn’t live at the address. The couple also lied on affidavits they signed stating that the information they provided was true and correct,” police said.

Detectives are investigating about 50 other alleged cases of driver’s license fraud.

Nenkov, Nenkova and Popov were arrested and taken to Collier County Jail.