Brooklyn driver arrested, accused of lying on NYS driver's license application

The Massapequa LI office of the NYS Dept of Motor Vehicles. A Brooklyn resident was arrested this week for false statements on a DMV form.Photo byC.J. Teevan

What happens if you lie to the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles?

Do they ever catch people for this?

Officials say they caught Bin Huang lying on a driver's license application. That's a crime, if true.

On Tuesday, Huang was arrested.

According to court filings, back in October 2020 – three years ago -- Huang, then 23, submitted Form MV-44 to the Massapequa, Long Island office of the DMV.

MV-44 is a NYS Driver’s License application for residents.

Near the bottom of MV-44 page 2, there's a warning: “I understand that making a false statement on this application may be punishable as a criminal offense.”

According to officials, when Huang filled out that form, he didn't tell the truth.

Not once. Twice! (According to them.)

Huang's first false statement, say officials, was when he checked the box claiming he had a driver’s license in Ontario, Canada. New York issues driver’s licenses to people who move here AND become permanent residents IF they have a valid driver’s license in another state or Canada.

Near the top of pg 1 of the NYS application is a question: Have you ever had a driver's license issued by a Canadian Province?Photo byC.J. Teevan

(Yes. You can have a driver's license issued in Canada. That works. Perfectly legal.)

Investigators say Bin Huang didn’t have a Canadian driver's license.

But that's just the first false statement. Huang’s second false statement, say officials, was checking the box specifically describing this Ontario driver's license was a “Type G”. Ontario issues 15 license types for 15 kinds of vehicles. To drive a car there, drivers need a G Class License.

But officials say they could find no record of a Type G license for Bin Huang with the birth date of March 1997.

Nevertheless, based solely on the statements on that form, assuming these statements were true, officials issued a New York State driver’s license for Bin Huang, now 26 and living on 52nd Street in Brooklyn.

All this allegedly took place around noon on October 13, 2020 -- the Pandemic. People wore masks. They couldn’t travel. Borders were closed. Offices were shut. The world was locked down.

It took time, but Albany says they caught Bin Huang. Now this person is in trouble.

Nassau County Police arrested the person who officials say filled out that form, signed it, and submitted it to the Massapequa DMV “fraudulently”. The Felony Complaint doesn’t explain how they know this or what evidence they have that Huang’s statements are false. But give them time.

Huang, now 26, was arraigned, with assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, before Judge Michael Montesano on Tuesday. Huang's husband and boss stood nearby as Huang pled Not Guilty to three Felony charges:

• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument under Pen Law 170.25
• Falsified Business Records to commit a crime under Pen Law 175.10
• Filing a False Instrument with intent to defraud under Pen Law 175.35-01

Judge Montesano released this defendant, a restaurant worker, without bail, after the Assistant District Attorney said he had no objection to ROR because the charges are old and the defendant has no criminal history.

Huang is scheduled to appear again before Judge Anthony Paradiso in Mineola on August 25.

The accused is still presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The "Certification" on page 2 of this NYS form certifies that the information on the application is "true and complete".Photo byC.J. Teevan