16 admit to paying for phony exam scores to get mariners' licenses in Coast Guard Center scam Those whose pleas were announced Tuesday admitted they fraudulently obtained various mariners’ licenses by paying for phony exam scores, a release said. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto close up top view of black pencil over exam answer sheet paper with multiple choice on yellow background for world literacy day and education concept Author: Associated Press Updated: 7:05 AM CST February 3, 2021 NEW ORLEANS — Sixteen people have pleaded guilty in connection with a mariner's license test score-fixing scheme at a United States Coast Guard exam center, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Orleans said Tuesday.