NEW ORLEANS - According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), eight more current and former merchant mariners have been charged in a test score-fixing scheme that occurred over seven years at a Coast Guard exam center in Mandeville. 

The DOJ reports that Ransford Ackah, Nathaniel Dominick, Odell Griggs, Devin Hebert, Raynel Lewis, Adrian Mack, Maurice Palmer, and Derrick Ward have been charged.

Officials say the eight are accused of obtaining and intending to use officer-level licenses that were procured through falsified exam scores.

The allegations come from an investigation tied to the previous indictment of former Coast Guard credentialing specialist Dorothy Smith, who accepted bribes in exchange for entering false passing examination scores.

Over 30 people have been charged for their participation in the scheme.

If convicted, the additional eight defendants face a sentence of up to five years behind bars as well as a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.