On Wednesday May 17, 2017, at approximately 12:00 noon, Sheriff’s Deputies stationed at the Sullivan County Government Center in Monticello were called to the Department of Motor Vehicles office. Deputies met with NY State DMV Investigator Jeffrey Whelan who advised that a customer, who was present in the office, had attempted to file for a restricted driver’s license due to an insurance lapse. When the transaction was run, the subject, Amiel Maerling, 52, of Burlingham Road in Pine Bush, was flagged in the DMV computer. An ensuing investigation revealed that Maerling had allegedly applied for several non-driver IDs under different names and dates of birth. The fraudulent transactions had been detected by DMV’s “state of the art” facial recognition software.

The facial recognition system, which was implemented by DMV in 2010, scans each photograph taken for a driver’s license or non-driver ID. The photographs are then compared against the existing database to see if any other records exist.  The system is intended to combat identity theft, fraud, and remove high-risk drivers from the road. It was recently upgraded from 64 points of measurement to 128 making it easier to match duplicate photographs.  To date the program has resulted in over 3,800 arrests statewide. “New York is on the forefront of utilizing this type of technology”, said Sheriff Mike Schiff. “It greatly enhances law enforcement’s ability to detect and prosecute those committing fraud”.

Amiel Maerling was charged with Offering a False Instrument for Filing and Falsifying Business Records, both Felonies. He was arraigned before Town of Fallsburg Judge Amanda Ward and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail on $15,000 bail pending a future court appearance.