Thread: CT: 2nd driving school owner charged in license forgery case

2nd driving school owner charged in license forgery case
March 27, 2008

WATERBURY, Conn.

State police have arrested a second driving school owner on charges he helped illegal immigrants obtain forged drivers' licenses.

Fernando Dias is the former partner of Henry Kruszewski, who was charged last week with forging documents submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Police say they found fraudulent immigration, Social Security, and college documents at both Kruszewski's Express Driving School in Stratford and Dias' Classic Driving School in Waterbury.

Kruszewski is charged with one count of racketeering and 50 counts of forgery. Dias was charged Thursday with one count of racketeering and nine counts of forgery.

He was released after posting $250,000, and is due back in court on April 4, a day after Kruszewski's next court appearance.

www.newsday.com

Did they have an inside man at the DMV?

Driving school owner jailed for license sales
By DANIEL TEPFER Staff writer
Article Last Updated: 10/16/2008 04:41:21 PM EDT


BRIDGEPORT -- The owner of a Stratford driving school was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for forging official documents that allowed hundreds of illegal immigrants to obtain state driver's licenses.

"I made a poor decision and I take full responsibility for it," Henry Kruszewski told Superior Court Judge George Thim. "I lost a business of 20 years and brought hardship to my family."

But the judge retorted that he had little sympathy for a man who could have put the nation's security at risk by providing identification to illegal immigrants. He sentenced the 57-year-old Kruszewski, of East Broadway, Milford, to 14 years in prison, suspended after he serves six years, and followed by five years probation.

As part of the plea bargain Kruszewski agreed to forfeit $35,158 to the state.

According to Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Shay, Kruszewski, who owned the Express Driving School, 3272 Main St., Stratford, over an eight-year period had forged letters and documents from the U.S. Social Security Administration and U.S. department of Immigration and Naturalization enabling 700 illegal immigrants, most from Eastern Europe, to obtain Connecticut driver's licenses. He said Kruszewski would charge each immigrant an average of $2,000 for the documentation.

Shay told the judge that many of the illegally obtained licenses have not been recovered. He said when State Police confronted Kruszewski about his actions, the defendant replied, ''I

haven't seen any Polish terrorists lately." Kruszewski later pleaded guilty to violating the state Corrupt Organizations Racketeering Act and conspiracy to commit forgery.


http://www.connpost.com/ci_10736940?source=most_viewed