A Missouri driver’s license examiner and a truck driving school owner were indicted in a bribery/fraud scheme to provide easy tests to hundreds of CDL applicants, prosecutors say. Troy Parr of Dexter, a former Sikeston driver’s license examiner, and Mustafa Redzic of south St. Louis County, who formerly operated Bonsa Truck Driving School in St. Louis, were indicted on multiple charges, according to Catherine Hanaway, U.S. attorney for eastern Missouri.
The charges were made public June 22. The indictment alleges that between January 2004 and April 2005, Redzic obtained 600 CDLs for his clients through Parr, for a total of $1.8 million in tuition, or $3,000 each. Redzic would send his customers to Parr for inadequate CDL tests that took only 30 minutes, rather than the standard two hours, prosecutors say. Multiple students often took the same short test at once, prosecutors say. In exchange, Redzic agreed to pay Parr’s facility the maximum fee authorized, prosecutors say.
Parr benefited from the steady stream of business, and Redzic benefited from the nearly 100 percent success rate of his students, prosecutors say. Redzic invited Parr to St. Louis on numerous occasions to “consult” with Redzic on his drivers’ education operation, prosecutors say. Redzic covered Parr’s expenses on these trips and provided Parr with cash payments of several hundred dollars, prosecutors say.
A Cape Girardeau federal grand jury indicted Redzic and Parr each on one felony count of bribery, one felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery and one felony count of wire and mail fraud. The bribery charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and $250,000 in fines. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years and $250,000, while the wire and mail fraud charge carries a maximum of 20 years and $250,000. Additionally, Redzic is charged with a forfeiture count, which would require the forfeiture of the estimated $1.8 million earned from the illegal activity, prosecutors say.
