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100+ Charges Brought Against School Owners

Largest Conn. Driving School Center Of Investigation

POSTED: 3:39 pm EDT October 21, 2008
UPDATED: 11:02 pm EDT October 21, 2008

The owners of the state's largest driving school were arrested Tuesday on more than 100 charges of forgery and fraud.

Academy Driving School became the center of an investigation by state police and the Department of Motor Vehicles earlier in the year. A search warrant was served at the school's Watertown and Waterbury locations in May.

Police said an investigation revealed that numerous documents had been altered or forged.

The owners of the school and three former employees were arrested.

Owners Joaquim "Jack" Sousa, 52, and Sharon Sousa, 51, of Middlebury, were charged with 104 counts of conspiracy to commit forgery and criminal impersonation. Jack Sousa also faces charges of falsely certifying. Sharon Sousa was charged with making a false statement.

Megan Relyea, 30, of Waterbury was charged with four counts of forgery. Shannon Rohner, 26, of Waterbury was charged with five counts of forgery. Jennifer Angelicoloa, 30, of Waterbury, was charged with 95 counts of forgery.

The owners' and employees' bonds were set at $10,000 each, and they are all scheduled to appear at Waterbury court on Nov. 7.

The Department of Motor Vehicles said the charges against the school include issuing learner's permits without parental consent, preparing frauduelently notarized parentlal consent forms, failing to used licensed instructors for driver's education programs and not providing students with full instructional time.

"We will not tolerate practices in driving schools that in any way represent fraud and displace the publlic's trust in an entity that should be providing a sound education," said DMV Commissioner Robert Ward.

The driving school has 50 offices and has been in business for the past 30 years.

When the investigation was launched, Jack Sousa told Eyewitness News that the school teaches 10,000 to 11,000 students each year.


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