Over 400 drivers must retake tests after Colorado Springs driving school fraud investigation

If you have received a letter of suspension from the DMV, KRDO13 would like to talk to you. Call 719-575-6285

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has issued an immediate suspension of the testing certificate for the Academy School of Driving (ASD) in Colorado Springs following a DMV investigation that uncovered systemic fraudulent driver testing.  

The DMV says as a result, 460 individuals will be notified of license actions, "including the cancellation of their privileges." Officials say if you received this notification, you must stop driving immediately and turn in your license. According to the DMN, you will have to pay for and pass the entire testing process again at a different school.

"Definitely shock and a little bit of panic because I'm not really sure. Like I said, what are we supposed to do from here?" Jo Soto asked. Soto says her daughter was scheduled for driver's lessons on Friday night, but no longer, after a sudden afternoon closure. Soto isn't the only one facing this dilemma.

"I was just coming to see if I could get a refund for upcoming driving tests for my kid," said Brendan Goodsell, whose third child was about to start learning to drive at the Academy School of Driving after his two oldest graduated. Now, even those graduations could be in question after the state's investigation.

Officials confirm that the fraud goes back to at least March 2025.

According to the DMV, ASD is a privately owned and independent Certified Driving Education and Testing School, and primarily serves the Colorado Springs area. Their suspension requires ASD to stop all testing operations pending a disciplinary hearing.

DMV said during the investigation into ASD, they found the following:

• Written Test Fraud: External "coordinators" were physically observed marking answers for applicants in the testing room to ensure passing scores.
• Dangerous Drive Test Shortcuts: State-mandated 15-minute behind-the-wheel drive tests were being dangerously truncated to as little as two to four minutes, with testers subsequently entering falsified route and duration data into the state system.
• Financial Exploitation: ASD exploited applicants, who were targeted and charged illegal, exorbitant fees ranging from $550 to $600 for guaranteed results.
• Appointment Manipulation: "Coordinators" were found to be manipulating the DMV appointment system using fictitious placeholder names to secure limited appointments and charging applicants, effectively stealing slots from honest, law-abiding applicants.

In addition to notifying hundreds of individuals, the DMV says it will review specific ASD employees involved in the alleged fraudulent activity to take appropriate disciplinary action.

Anyone with additional questions is asked to email: DOR_ASDfraudhelp@state.co.us

"It's frustrating. I mean, you know, this is a milestone for kids, and it's expensive, and it's time-consuming, and now it's restarting [the] process. [I have] to go and explain that to my youngest now and try to find a way forward for that," Goodsell said.

The DMV clarified the following on April 13:

Impacted Customers: The license actions affect customers over 18, who were eligible to take the driving test immediately and not hold their permit for 12 months.  If you are under 18, you should not be impacted by this investigation.

Impacted Licenses: The DMV review included nearly 5,000 ASD customers who completed written and driving tests from March 2025 through March 2026. Of the 460 impacted individuals, 411 are believed to have received their credentials due to fraudulent testing, and 49 are believed to have knowingly participated in the fraudulent testing process.

Notifications: Cancellation letters will be sent the week of April 20, 2026, and affected licensees will have the right to request a hearing with the Department of Revenue’s Hearings Division.

If you paid for services with ASD but did not receive services due to the closure of the school, please follow these instructions:

DTE is currently reviewing ASD files to determine if educational credits can be approved for students in-flight. You may be eligible to receive educational credit for online driver's education training and ‘Behind The Wheel’ (BTW) training you have completed at ASD. Email DOR_ASDfraudhelp@state.co.us.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.