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Four From Westchester Indicted In Metro-North Cheating Ring

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – Four Westchester County residents were among the 13 Metro-North employees that were indicted in Manhattan for their roles in a test-cheating scandal regarding exams that are required to be passed by prospective engineers and conductors.

Four Westchester residents have been indicted in regards to a Metro-North test-cheating scandal.

Four Westchester residents have been indicted in regards to a Metro-North test-cheating scandal.

Photo Credit: File photo

According to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., nine of the defendants emailed photos of three safety and emergency procedure exams, complete with answers, to three candidates that were set to apply for their conductor’s license.

Among those implicated in the scandal were Scarsdale resident John Twardy, 34, Irvington native Omar Carillo, 28, Donald Finnerty, 47, from Yorktown Heights and Harrison resident Patrick Jones, 35.

Each of the defendants stands charged with felony counts of impairing the integrity of a government licensing exam. Twardy faces four counts, while the rest face two counts each.

Nine of the Metro-North employees involved in the scandal have been suspended, with four seeing their positions terminated, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials.

“We trust train conductors and engineers to deliver us safely to work, home, and everywhere else in between,” Vance stated. “In this case, the defendants are charged with helping candidates cheat on their license exams, which are designed to test individuals’ knowledge of critical safety information, such as speed limits and emergency procedures.

“The alleged conduct poses potential dangers far beyond the act of passing answers, and I thank the MTA and those involved for taking the steps to stop this kind of activity.”

MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger noted that the joint investigation proved that the “long-standing practices undermined the very integrity of the testing process for conductor and engineers at Metro-North.” He added that he has reviewed all current employees to ensure that each of them is up to the standards he expects.

“Such conduct is unacceptable and deplorable and should result in the imposition of appropriate criminal sanctions and discipline,” he said. “While the need to end the activities as set out in the indictment was always clear, my priority from day one of this investigation has been to ensure that all conductors and engineers on Metro-North trains are fully qualified and competent to transport our passengers in a safe and responsible fashion.” 

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