SANFORD, Maine — A Sanford man accused of running a fraudulent commercial driver’s license school in York County was allegedly training students for years before state investigators brought charges, according to a competing truck driving school owner who says he warned the DMV as far back as 2023.
Paul Rumery of Sanford is now facing eight charges after authorities accused him of operating an unlicensed CDL training operation that investigators say took thousands of dollars from students who never received the licenses they were seeking.
Rumery was arrested last week and later released on bail after investigators alleged he deceived multiple individuals seeking commercial driver training.
According to a 15-page affidavit, several students paid Rumery thousands of dollars for CDL classes, but investigators say the operation was a scam and the students never received their commercial driver’s licenses.
Investigators with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles determined Rumery was allegedly operating an unlicensed driver education school for truck drivers. Authorities say Rumery claimed he worked for Hannaford training commercial drivers, but investigators found he was teaching individuals from other companies without a valid driver education license.
One student told investigators he paid approximately $10,000 for training involving multiple people but never received certification. Officials say the student later had to enroll in another licensed driving school to complete the process.
Ronald Vance told the Maine Wire on Wednesday that he alerted the state years ago about Rumery’s alleged activities and believes many more students may have been affected.
“It is a shame that the DMV let this go from 3/23/23 when I let them know about Paulie Rumery training students,” Vance said. “Now here we are three years later and so many students paid Paulie Rumery with cash and they will mostly never get the cash back from him.”
Vance said the alleged damage may extend far beyond the criminal charges now filed.
“This affects between 100 to 250 student[s] that paid him between $2,000 and $5,000 each,” Vance said. “Plus the impact from the loss of revenue from my legal truck training school.”
Vance also questioned what happens to students who may have gone through Rumery’s training.
“You would think that if he was or is illegal then all of his past student[s] would need to go back to a legal school,” Vance said.
Rumery is scheduled to appear in court on April 30, and the case remains under investigation.
Prior Criminal History
Court records and prior reporting indicate Rumery has faced criminal charges in the past.
In 2008, Rumery, then living in Biddeford, was charged with impersonating a public servant and theft of services after authorities said he falsely claimed to be a Maine state trooper in order to obtain free rides on Amtrak’s Downeaster train.
According to law enforcement at the time, Rumery told Amtrak personnel he was a state police sergeant traveling for official purposes, allowing him to receive transportation without paying fare on multiple occasions before being stopped by an actual trooper.
Authorities reported that Rumery was released on bail following those charges and scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court.
Licensing and Safety Questions
The allegations against Rumery raise broader questions about how long the operation continued and how many students may have paid for training that did not meet state standards.
Authorities say the case centers on commercial driver instruction provided without a valid school license, raising concerns not only about financial harm to students but also about whether those students received legitimate training.
The investigation remains ongoing.
