Thread: Makes Thousands Selling Licenses to Illegal Aliens

http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/19115.html




TCV News
Motor Vehicle Worker Makes Thousands Selling Licenses to Illegal Aliens
October 08, 2006 12:54 PM EST


by Jim Kouri - SEATTLE -- Three people, including an employee of the Washington State Department of Licensing, have been charged following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the State Department of Licensing into a scheme to sell Washington driver’s licenses to dozens of illegal aliens from Brazil.


Zagari Shunta Moore, 37, of Federal Way, Washington, and Mauro Martins, 45, of Kirkland, Washington, were indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury here for conspiracy to commit document fraud. Moore, an employee at the Washington State Department of Licensing, allegedly sold driver’s licenses to more than 156 people who did not pass the required driver’s tests. Martins brought many of the applicants, Brazilian nationals who were in the United States illegally, to the Federal Way licensing office where Moore issued the licenses. If convicted the pair face up to 15 years in prison.

“This type of criminal activity facilitates illegal immigration by providing identification documents to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States,” said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge for the ICE office of investigations in Seattle. “ICE is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and dismantle these kinds of schemes.”

In addition to Moore and Martins, a third co-conspirator was charged today in connection with the scheme. Jackson Ronaldo Da Conceicao, 31, of Boston, Massachusetts, was arrested September 15 as he prepared to take several Brazilian nationals to get their driver’s licenses. According to records filed in the case, Da Conceicao recruited Brazilian nationals in the Boston area to fly to Seattle to get Washington driver’s licenses. Washington state does not require a social security number or proof that the applicant is in the country legally. The Brazilians, who paid as much as $2,000 for the driver’s licenses, had overstayed their visas and were in the country illegally. Martins and Da Conceicao are also Brazilian nationals who overstayed their visas.

According to documents filed in the case, Moore was allegedly paid $250 to provide a driver’s license to applicants who could not pass the test. Department of Licensing investigators determined Moore was altering computer records regarding test scores. The Department of Licensing referred the case to ICE because many of the applicants who received unauthorized drivers licenses were in the United States illegally.

This does not surprise me as the same goes on in other states as well. If you see the quality of those fake driver's licenses you will laugh. I already saw a bogus Pennsylvania and Virginia driver's license and you could easily tell its a fake.

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