Bristol County woman admits to bribing road test examiner to issue driver’s licenses without taking road tests

BOSTON – A Taunton woman pleaded guilty today to bribing a road test examiner at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Brockton to issue driver’s licenses to individuals who did not take road tests.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 56-year-old Neta Centio pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud. Judge Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Nov. 20, 2023. Centio was charged on June 26, 2023.

Centio paid a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent to the RMV that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when, in fact, they had not even showed up for the test. As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to unqualified applicants. Centio used CashApp to pay the road examiner in exchange for fraudulent passing scores on road tests. After Centio’s fraud was discovered, she told the road test examiner, “Don’t say nothing about the CashApp. . . . Break the phone.”

The road test examiner’s name was not released.

The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charging document also seeks a $20,215 forfeiture money judgment based on the amount of the bribes. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Michael J. Krol, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; and Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam Deitch of the Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit are prosecuting the case.