A Sanford man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from students while running an unlicensed commercial driving school.

Paul Rumery, 50, is facing eight charges: seven counts of theft by deceit and one count of commercial driver’s license instruction without being properly licensed by the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Rumery allegedly stole a total of $28,100 from students of his sham driving school since 2024, according to an affidavit filed by a BMV detective this month.

The BMV first ordered Rumery to cease operations in June 2024, according to the affidavit, which also states he was interviewed by the detective that September and was subsequently issued a summons for operating an unlicensed driver’s education school.

“I informed Rumery to the effect that if I caught him teaching again, I would arrest him,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. That case is still pending, the detective noted.

While most former students interviewed by the detective during the most recent investigation claimed to have taken classes before then, at least two individuals claimed to have been trained by Rumery after June 2024, according to the affidavit.

Students interviewed as part of the investigation — some of whom said they attended dozens of classes — were never able to obtain their commercial driver’s licenses and were never refunded, according to the affidavit.

At one point, Rumery was employed by ADUSA Transportation DC1, which is associated with Hannaford Supermarket, according to the affidavit, where his role included training drivers. He was believed to be using an online portal to sign his students up for driving tests as if they were Hannaford employees, the affidavit says.

However, Rumery was “reportedly separated” from the company at some point and could no longer use the portal, the affidavit states. So, many of the students’ learner’s permits would run out before they could take a road test necessary to obtain their license.

Based on the interviews and some receipts of payment, the detective determined Rumery charged about $2,800 per student, according to the affidavit, though some students seeking multiple credentials were charged more.

In addition to several former students, the owner of a commercial driving school in Saco is a complainant in the case, claiming it lost business to Rumery’s phony school. The detective found that certified commercial driving training programs often charge “thousands of dollars more” than what Rumery was charging.

A reporter called a phone number associated with Rumery on Tuesday, but was sent directly to voicemail and did not receive a call back.

Staff Writer Sydney Richelieu contributed to this story.