INDIANAPOLIS — An investigation by the Indiana Office of Inspector General (OIG), supported by the Indiana State Police and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), has resulted in felony criminal charges against two former customer-service employees at the BMV’s Midtown branch in Indianapolis.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office charged Gabriella C. Perry and Winters Ann VanDyke each with:
- Bribery (Level 5 felony) — carries a potential sentence of up to six years in prison.
- Official Misconduct (Level 6 felony) — carries a potential sentence of up to two and a half years in prison.
Falsified Scores and Cash Payments
Court documents show that investigators identified over 300 illegitimate driver’s tests entered under Perry’s and VanDyke’s BMV login credentials between June 2023 and February 2024.
The two former employees are accused of manually logging into customer accounts and entering passing scores for written driver’s tests that applicants never actually took. The scheme allowed customers—many of whom had repeatedly failed written driving exams at other branches—to obtain a learner’s permit or driver’s license without passing a legitimate exam. In exchange, Perry and VanDyke were allegedly paid per falsified test.
How the Scheme Was Uncovered
The fraudulent activity came to light after observant BMV staff at the McCordsville branch noticed a suspicious pattern: several customers who had recently failed written tests at McCordsville were suddenly presenting driving permits or licenses issued shortly afterward.
A deeper internal review revealed several red flags, including:
- Customers failing tests in their native language at one branch, then suddenly logging passing scores in English at the Midtown branch.
- Tests recorded as completed digitally without ever being printed or administered on paper, as required by BMV protocol.
“This investigation was launched based on BMV staff who noticed something and said something — and that led the OIG to uncover an alleged bribery scheme that not only betrayed Hoosier trust, but it also created the potential that unqualified and untested drivers were on Indiana’s roads,” said Indiana Inspector General Jared Prentice.
BMV Response and Credentials Invalidated
Following the internal discovery, the Indiana BMV immediately invalidated all licenses and permits linked to the fraudulent testing entries.
The agency notified all impacted individuals that their credentials had been revoked and that they must retest and legitimately pass all required examinations before receiving a valid driver’s license or permit.
Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
