Thread: 52 arrested in scheme selling Florida commercial drivers lic

http://www.theledger.com
Published Thursday, April 28, 2005

52 arrested in scheme selling Florida commercial drivers licenses

By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press Writer
MIAMI

Fifty-two people have been arrested on criminal charges and immigration violations as part of an alleged scheme that sold thousands of commercial Florida licenses to illegal drivers, demonstrating potential vulnerability to terrorists, investigators said Thursday.

The licenses, obtained from three state license examiners can allow drivers access to secure areas at airports and seaports and permit them to drive trucks carrying fuel, hazardous material and other dangerous cargo.

"These cases are important because a driver's license is a bad guy's ticket in," said U.S. Attorney Marcos Daniel Jimenez at a news conference. "It allows someone to operate heavy equipment which can do a lot of damage."

Jesus Torres, special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Miami, said there was no evidence that any of those who bought licenses had connections to terrorism. Of the 52 arrested, 23 face criminal charges and 29 face deportation for violating immigration laws, Torres said.

It was not clear exactly how many licenses were illegally obtained, but investigators said the number was in the thousands. More arrests were likely, officials said.

Florida drivers licenses figured prominently in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with nine of the 19 hijackers having the licenses and three others possessing identification cards issued by Florida. After the attacks, Florida revamped its licenses to make them more difficult to duplicate or counterfeit, but Jimenez said problems remain with fraudulent access to government identification documents.

"We have a long way to go after 9/11," Jimenez said. "Anybody who tells you otherwise is not telling you the truth."

According to investigators, the scheme revolved around license examiners - two in Broward County and one in Miami-Dade County - who allegedly sold licenses for between $100 and $200 apiece. They were brought customers by five "recruiters" who charged between $1,500 and $3,000 to people from numerous foreign countries.

Obtaining the commercial drivers license allowed these people to falsely claim they held U.S. citizenship in addition to access to large trucks and equipment, Torres said. He said 36 of the licenses were issued to people without proper training and 11 were involved in accidents with injuries, including one fatality.

The three examiners, each facing charges in a federal criminal complaint, were identified as Derene Frasier, Tracie Dunlap and Yvette Jackson. Major David Brierton of the Florida Highway Patrol said the three were in the process of being dismissed from the state drivers license agency.

It was not immediately clear Thursday if any of the three had hired attorneys or when court appearances would be scheduled. Jackson and Dunlap worked in a Broward County drivers license office and Frasier in Miami-Dade County, Brierton said.

Nail them to the cross.

Jesus Torres, special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office in Miami, said there was no evidence that any of those who bought licenses had connections to terrorism. Of the 52 arrested, 23 face criminal charges and 29 face deportation for violating immigration laws, Torres said.

Excuse me BUT..........do these ENTREPENEURS keep RECORDS of the people they sold ILLEGAL licenses to in order to check for their TERRORISM quotient?

Excuse me BUT..........do these ENTREPENEURS keep RECORDS of the people they sold ILLEGAL licenses to in order to check for their TERRORISM quotient?

I don't think so. They just care about the green.