Thread: WA-DOL clerks charged in schemes to sell DLs to illegals

Friday, June 18, 2010 at 12:51 PM

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DOL clerks charged in schemes to sell driver's licenses to illegal immigrants

By Mike Carter



The FBI has arrested three people, including two state Department of Licensing employees, in connection with schemes to sell driver's licenses and IDs to illegal immigrants for cash.

A fourth man is a fugitive, according to federal prosecutors.

The two cases are similar but do not appear to be related, said U.S. Attorney's spokeswoman Emily Langlie.

Both employees worked as customer service representatives at DOL licensing counters. Melanie Yoder worked at the Bellevue office, where prosecutors allege she was paid $500 for every license she issued, most of which were given to Brazilian immigrants funneled to her through a codefendant, Rodrigo Moura.

She was arrested without incident outside the Bellevue office Friday. Moura was arrested Friday in Kirkland.

Lacy Jones Jr. worked at the DOL office in Federal Way, according to court papers. He was allegedly working with a Mexican national named Israel Velasco Diaz, who also was charged. Both face a count of conspiracy to illegally sell identification documents.

Jones, allegedly also demanded cash for licenses, resigned in May, according to the DOL. Jones was arrested; the FBI is looking for Velasco Diaz.

A news release said that the FBI has been investigating the cases since September 2009, when the bureau received tips on both schemes. An informant said Rodrigo Moura was arranging for unqualified people to obtain driver's licenses. The tip alleged that people were coming to Washington from all over the U.S. for identification because the state does not require proof of legal immigration to obtain a driver's license. Applicants must, however, have proof of residency, and that's where Moura allegedly focused his scheme.

A driver's license would enable its holder to open bank accounts, rent property or obtain bank accounts.

The charges allege that for $3,000 apiece Moura would pick up clients at the airport, providing them with an address to use during the license application process and all answers to the written driver's test. He would then arrange for them to be processed by Yoder.

In one month last year, according to DOL records, Yoder issued 45 licenses to people from Brazil, an unusually high number, the department said.

Lacey was allegedly working with Velasco Diaz to obtain licenses or state identification cards for Mexican nationals. Velasco Diaz would charge up to $1,500 to arrange for a driver's license, and about half that for an official state identification card. Jones would be paid up to $600 in cash, the charges allege.

The FBI used two paid undercover operatives to arrange purchase of identification. Agents recorded conversations, including one in which Lacey tells Velasco Diaz that one of the men needs more convincing paperwork before coming to visit him at the DOL counter.

"They need an envelope with some phony paper or something in it," Lacey says in the recording, according to the charges. "so tell him he needs to go to the store and get a brown envelope and put some phony paper so I can make it up."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... cation=rss

I can't help but wonder if someday half of the country will be in prison. Of course, the government will have long since gone broke.

I hope this leads to revocation of the policy so there is one fewer state the others are Hawaii, New Mexico and Utah. Utah now at least has switched over to a different layout for illegals.