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NANTICOKE — A third-party instructor at Luzerne County Community College was charged Thursday with issuing more than 140 commercial driver’s licenses without proper qualifications.

State police at Wyoming charged Michael Anthony Jordan, 51, of Larksville, with numerous counts of unlawfully issuing CDLs and stealing tuition money.

According to state police:

The state Department of Transportation contacted state police in October 2017 regarding allegations Jordan, a commercial driver’s license text examiner, falsified records for applicants to the CDL program.

An investigation revealed Jordan falsified PennDOT examination reports and failed to properly test applicants, resulting in commercial driver’s licenses being issued without proper safety tests being conducted, state police allege.

State police allege Jordan issued 142 commercial vehicle operators to drive on public highways without proper qualifications, risking the safety of other drivers on the road.

Students who were identified receiving premature CDLs were re-tested at different locations to access their abilities and certify them as qualified commercial drivers, state police said.

Sixty-seven of them failed the re-test, troopers noted.

Jordan allegedly received cash payments directly from applicants resulting in a loss of income for the college.

District Judge Donald Whittaker in Nanticoke arraigned Jordan on 25 counts each of unlawful issuance of false licenses, risking a catastrophe and tampering with public records and a single count of theft. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

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By Ed Lewis

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