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RMV officials to give update on record-keeping scandal at Registry

BOSTON — A troubling report claims that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles knew about a backlog of out-of-state license violations a year before the crash that killed seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire this summer.

The problems at the RMV did not go unnoticed.

Among the people who expressed concern was an RMV hearings officer who sent an email highlighting serious problems at the agency. That email has now been reviewed by the Joint Committee on Transportation.

The email, along with other documents under review, highlight problems with the RMV computer system, oversight lapses, and compliance with state law.

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According to the Boston Herald, the email also alerted managers to serious concerns over the "driver point system," a program that monitors drivers whose licenses have been revoked or suspended.

All of the checks were not enough to stop West Springfield resident Volodymyr Zhukovskyy from taking the road. His record showed drugs and traffic offenses in several states when he crashed into a group of motorcyclists, killing seven of them.

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The Mass. RMV has admitted Zhukovskyy's license should have been revoked after a drunken driving incident in Connecticut, but he is far from the RMV's only problem driver.

A manager at the RMV previously testified he discovered a three-year backlog of about 10,000 out-of-state notifications stored in boxes.

The Acting Registrar of Motor Vehicles is set to give an update on the record-keeping scandal at the RMV at approximately 11 a.m. Monday.