A Georgia CDL examiner and the former owner of the American Truck Driving Academy in Alabama received probation and fines for their roles in a fraud scheme.
Michael Jordan and James Welburn were sentenced on June 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama for their roles in a conspiracy to falsify DOT examinations, according to a DOT statement.
Jordan was a third-party CDL examiner who operated in Columbus, Georgia. Welburn was the owner and president of American Truck Driving Academy (ATDA), a commercial driver license (CDL) training school located in Opelika, Alabama.
Jordan was sentenced to 36 months’ probation, a $10,250 fine, a $100 special assessment, and 100 hours’ community service. Welburn was sentenced to 60 months’ probation, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
Welburn was indicted on July 17, 2019 and pleaded guilty on February 12, 2020. Jordan was charged by information on July 10, 2019 and pleaded guilty on July 19, 2019. The investigation revealed that, in exchange for cash payments from Welburn, Jordan falsified CDL examinations for ATDA students.
DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with assistance from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Driver Services.
