Complaint Review: PennDOT

AN UPDATE TO MY COMPLAINT:

• PennDOT refuses to respond to this complaint posted on this site, and they have not responded to me directly.
• They refused to allow me to speak to a supervisor.
• The inquiries that I have made on my own behalf have gone ignored.

Every year, I've persistently called to get one representative after another who claimed they could not answer any of my questions regarding the quoted suspension in 1997. They also could not ever get a supervisor on the phone to speak to me about this, they responded to my phone calls with mailed printouts of the punitive actions the many courts took against me beginning in 2008-2012, but never what I asked for- the reason there is a suspension under my identity in 1997, 2 years after my Pa license was surrendered for a Ca license.

And advocates have called on my behalf (one even drove out to PennDOT's office in Harrisburg); when all of them failed, I even went to the DA's office for help with this, then when that failed I went to both the local police and the state police and when that failed; then state representatives and lawyers called and wrote letters and faxes were sent- but PennDOT refused to answer any questions pertaining to this. 5 years of this...

PennDOT will not address the suspension in 1997- the source of subsequent punishments of wrongful arrest and jail time; with about 6 or 8 compounded suspensions and revocations, 4 warrants for my arrest, an indefinite suspension under my identity, I can't get an ID card so I can identify myself in public or vote. I can never drive again because of this- even though my record in both states boasts an excellent driver reputation. I believe I deserve an answer to this after all that I have gone through.

As I have compiled a preponderance of documents numbering in the thousands regarding this case (including the phone records), it has been very difficult to summarize the 5 years of hell I have gone through to obtain a little justice in this matter. I feel that I am entitled to be allowed to go on with my life and be allowed to start over after all of the identity theft issues have ended- it's been about one year after the most recent identity theft, and 18 years since the identity theft case that started all of this at PennDOT, apparently.

• Again, PennDOT refuses to give an accounting of:

1.  Why they did not keep the record of my surrendered Pa Driver License in 1995?

2.  How can PennDOT do all of this without due process? There was no court order against me- no court codes, docket numbers or any violation codes on the 1997 suspension in my driver history.

3.  Why did they allow an identity theft to persist in 1997, AFTER I had reported who the person was using my identity and committing fraud in my name in 1994, when it was the Pa Driver License card that was being used AFTER it had been physically surrendered at the DMV office, 1995 in California? How was this even possible? Again, there are no answers only these bizarre, illogical circumstances.

4.  Why has the logic of this fact escaped everyone: How could a Pa driver license card be PHYSICALLY SURRENDERED AND DESTROYED by the California DMV in 1995, then be used over 3000 miles away in 1997 on the east coast in Pennsylvania (or New Jersey) while I was physically living and working in California?

5.  What is the meaning of and reason behind assigning my identity with a suspension in 1997?

6.  Why are they refusing to fix this?

7.  And why have I been denied my right to a trial, proper inquest or a hearing in front of examiners (which even the police said was my right under the law)?

2013-09-09

02:59:01

To: THuegel- would you please email me with your contact information here: pandorumation@gmail.com.

I want to contact Lisa Boscola's office again, as they are not doing anything about my case and I've contacted her office several times now about PennDOT. Maybe it will help if there is more than one person contacting them about this problem, and to the extent of damages done to both person's lives maybe there will be more interest in intervening, since this has ruined both of our lives.

I just wanted to say that you're not alone with what you have gone through, "THuegel".

But would you please do me a favor and set up your own page with your PennDOT complaint so that it shows up in the complaint searches? Right now, your complaint is trailing mine and it won't be seen on a separate web search, so it's not going to be seen as your own complaint right now as it is.

From all appearances, it would seem that PennDOT is not really making "mistakes" like this by accident- the goal seems to be a financial one that is making them, and the municipalities of Pennsylvania extra revenue at the expense of the taxpayer. They need to be held accountable for your losses, and mine.

According to the agent I spoke to about this and who looked into my case (Department of Financial Crimes) he stated that PennDOT has violated laws that put both of our cases beyond the statute of limitations and they are violating the law by carrying out punitive actions against us.

Finding the money and an attorney willing to go up against PennDOT is the only next step to take, one that I haven't been successful at yet.

The other hope is for a class action lawsuit.

Please also copy and paste your report to the following after you set up your Ripoff Report complaint:

(((REDACTED)))

I've also posted my complaint to all of the above, I added photos where I could of my documents. The hope is that others will come forward with their stories about PennDOT wrongs and there may be the opportunity for a class action lawsuit.

I have been listening to horror stories about PennDOT doing similar things to many others, but they are not coming forward with their stories publicly maybe out of hopelessness, depression and embarrassment. But there's strength in numbers, so it's very important to document these cases and make it public as soon as possible.

If you know of any others who've had their lives turned upside down by PennDOT, please urge them to post their stories at these websites without delay.



18:48:59

2013-09-02

On June 21st, 2007, I was driving to the pier on Jekyll Island, GA with a friend in a recently purchased Honda Accord. I had not purchased plates for the vehicle yet and was pulled over by a State Patrolman who wanted to make sure my car was legal. I offered my credentials to the officer and awaited his return. When he came back to my car, he informed me that my GA license was suspended and that his vehicle mounted computer offered no reason. He then confiscated my GA license and instructed me to just get a new one since the one I possessed was due to expire. He then involves my passenger by asking to see their license so he could verify their license wasn’t suspended. It was clear so he asked them if they would be willing to drive my car home for me. They agreed and he then presented me with my ticket for driving on a suspended license.

I went to the GA DMV office in Hinesville, GA where I inquired about my suspension. I was told that GA wasn’t responsible for suspending my license but that PA was. I went back to my office and contacted PENNDOT about the horrible mistake they had made. I hadn’t lived in PA since 1995, so how could they be suspending me? PENNDOT’s automated system made me change my address before connecting me with a live person, who informed me that I was suspended due to a ticket I received back in 1993. I asked how could I resolve this issue but was told I had to serve a one year suspension. We argued a bit because I couldn’t figure out why a one year suspension was still active 13 years later. They told me that it couldn’t start until I submitted a form DL16C. In complete shock, I went to the PENNDOT website and downloaded the form, filled it out, mailed it, then called back a few days later hoping to speak to someone else or maybe someone higher in rank that could make all of this go away. My requests fell on deaf ears; no one could give me reasonable solutions to correct this mistake.

A few days later I received a letter from PENNDOT explaining the reason for my suspension. I called my mother to confirm what I already knew; this had been paid years ago. So I bought a plane ticket, and flew to Pennsylvania for a while. I figured that maybe going physically to a licensing center and pleading my case would help resolve this matter. I had an official document from PENNDOT in my hand that had clearly printed on it the date in which my license was to be suspended, 9/20/95. How could they dispute that my suspension should be over with if it was right there in front of them? They told me that it was still in effect since I never sent them the DL16C back in 1995 and that there was nothing I could do but wait a year. I informed them that I moved to Georgia in 1995 and had been issued a GA license the same year. This didn’t matter to the person behind the desk, the computer screen said I was suspended and that’s all that mattered.

I flew back to Georgia and found my business was ransacked; the whole place was in shambles. Two employees had been threatened by my landlord that they were going to revoke my lease since I no longer had a legal license, so they decided to take what they could, sell what they couldn’t, and left town. They got away with around $45,000. This was crippling, the loss of cash and tools was bad but calling my customers and saying I had “split town and wasn’t coming back” just to get them to pay for their repairs in cash was much worse. Now I had a suspended license and had been robbed on top of it. With the help of my son and remaining employees we got the shop back into shape so we could resume business. Days later I was informed by my landlords that not only were they not going to continue the sale of the property to me, but that they wanted to end my lease early. They claimed that not having my license would cancel my insurance and if something happened they would lose out. I begged and pleaded with them that it was just a mistake and that I was trying to fix it, but it didn’t matter. I was eventually removed by the sheriffs department.

All of my equipment and vehicles were placed outside while I frantically raced to move them to storage. I wasn’t prepared for this involuntary move of property and vehicles, and most of them were towed away before I could move them that night. The tools and equipment were thrown into a pair of storage units and have remained in storage to this day. I never recovered the vehicles since I lost my income and couldn’t drive. A family member flew down to GA and moved in with me to help out. He drove me around to look for work, he took me to pick up my son, all in hopes that my license would be returned soon. That didn’t happen. Six months later he moved back to PA when I was evicted from my homedue to lack of payment. I moved what was in my home into a storage unit and that has been in storage ever since as well. I lived in a very rural area so there was no possibility of public transportation to get to a job. I moved in with friends until I could get some of my things to Jacksonville, FL.

The year was up but I knew I couldn’t get restored without money. I figured I could find work there and use public transportation to get around, but getting there was a problem. I couldn’t afford to hire a moving team or even a truck, so I moved what I could in my Honda. I was pulled over on a return trip and was jailed for driving on a suspended license. I had to use my car to bond out of jail. I called to see why my license was still in limbo and was told by PENNDOT that they never received my DL16C and that I should resubmit it and wait another year. This was totally unacceptable. I had lost so much the first year, I couldn’t do a second. I called every state agency I could think of until I reached Lisa Boscola, a Senator in Pennsylvania. Her office listened and said they could help. I was asked to send a letter that reflected the conversation I had with Jeff Warren, an employee of Senator Boscola’s. Jeff and I had talked on the phone discussing my case when I mentioned my re-enlistment that took me to Georgia in 1995. He said that the US Army would not have allowed my re-enlistment if I had anything outstanding, even a parking ticket. He called PENNDOT and brought this to their attention and they immediately dropped my suspension. It took a five minute conversation to PENNDOT to resolve my suspension.

I was told I could get my license back, my PA license. At that time I didn’t care what license I had as long as I had a valid one so that I could work again. I borrowed money and flew back to PA to get a license. When I got to the licensing center, I was told I could not get a license since GA had it suspended. I told the guy it was suspended because PA suspended it and that I had received tickets for it. I urged him to call GA and explain this so that they would release the suspension they imposed on me so I could get the PA license I was promised. He refused, said things like that just don’t happen. I showed him the letter that proved it does from Jeff Warren at Senator Lisa Boscola’s office. He made a few phone calls and told me that there was nothing they could do until I settled the matter in GA. I left and returned to GA unlicensed. A friend who was in law enforcement tried to help by contacting one of the jurisdictions I received a ticket in. He had a working relationship with someone within their ranks and set up a meeting between us. After hearing what had happened to me I was asked to come to court and plead to a lesser charge of no ID. I did as I was asked and went to court on the prescribed date. There had been some sort of mix up with the police officers scheduling and none of them could show up to court that day, so the judge asked everyone to go home and wait for a letter rescheduling their cases. As I was leaving, my bondsman called me and asked me to return, he said the judge wanted to speak to me since there was a deal on the table between the state solicitor and me. I returned and went before Judge Jenkins. He asked me to explain my case before he would allow any deal to go forth, so I did. He became angry and yelled at me in the court room stating that such a thing could never happen and that I must be lying. He refused to look at the documents I brought with me, confirming the facts I stated. He sentenced me to a years probation which brought with it hefty fines and fees. He scolded me and had me removed for contempt and jailed me for eight days. I was called to the visitor’s room at some point even though I never authorized any visitors, to meet my ex-wife and her friend James Judd. They laughed a bit and didn’t have much to say other than they thought I could use a visitor. Eight days came and went. So did a second week. I was finally released after 17 days and only because my mother had grown worried that I never called to notify her when I got released. She called repeatedly asking them to check to see if I was in my cell and finally they did. The McIntosh county jail had forgotten I was there. I called a friend to come and pick me up and take me home only to find out that my home had been broken into while I was in jail. Later that night I was offered confirmation that it was in fact James Judd who had broken in after confirming I was actually locked up. He had the stolen items at his home. I called the Ludowici, GA police department to get an officer to investigate but was told that the only detective was on vacation and that he would be by after he returned. That never happened since I was evicted a few days after; my landlord didn’t want convicts living in his rental.

I wasn’t getting anywhere with my license and employers don’t want people that can’t drive. So, I moved back home with my mother figuring that we could help each other out. While in PA, I contacted Jeff Warren again. He sent me a letter confirming PENNDOT admitted it was a mistake that my license was suspended when I was initially pulled over in 2007. That letter has helped me get one of the courts to drop the charges and send a correction into the GA Department of Driver Services. I am currently trying to do the same with the others. It is over six years since my license was taken from me and I still don’t have one. I can’t work; when I do I get ticketed for driving. I bought my PA DMV record and looked it over. It shows that my license was suspended in December of 2006 for failure to respond, but it also shows where I served a suspension for that ticket two months after I received it. It says a departmental hearing was held because of it and that nothing came of it. That same entry states that I was mailed an official letter about it in 2006 that never made it, I assume since I moved 13 years earlier. The letter PENNDOT sent me in 2007 when I questioned why I was suspended isn’t even for the same ticket although it was the only reason they gave as to why I was suspended. The record keeping at PENNDOT is seriously flawed and it has ruined my life. If they can hold me accountable for something I didn’t do, how can I hold them accountable for something they ACTUALLY did??

In response to your comment:

I don't know who you represent or what your agenda is, but your comments did nothing to address the problem.

1. You obviously did not read the report, I was the victim of two crimes which VIOLATE MY RIGHTS. Since I am not a lawyer, I can't list all of the rights under the statutes individually- that's why I am posting this, to get help. 

A. For instance, one crime is identity theft.

B. The other is exploiting and profiting from the original crime.

C. Another is abusing my private identity data for financial gain.

D. Entering fraudulent information into a secure, government database where my identity is corrupted by this fraudulent information is a criminal act. That is a willful abuse of my identity.

E. Spreading this fraudulent data to all DMVs in the United States through the PDPS system, terminating my ability to move, identify myself or be licensed to drive anywhere in the US indefinitely, as PennDOT states, "for the rest of my life"- violates my right to due process; I've been denied my right to a trial or hearing.

Those factors limit my life as a free, law abiding citizen of this country by violating my rights. 


2. Please get your facts straight- read the report.

I think I've well-covered why I can't move to another state and be licensed to drive- re-read the top again.

 1. Driving is a privilage not a right.

2. Go apply in a different state.