Thread: Van Driver In Fatal Bus Crash Facing More Charges

Feb 29, 2008 2:24 pm
Van Driver In Fatal Bus Crash Facing More Charges

Van Owner Also Facing Identity Theft Charges
(WCCO) The driver of the van and the owner of the van involved in the fatal Cottonwood bus crash were each charged with four additional federal charges Friday.

Prosecutors charged Olga Martina Franco del Cid, 24, the driver of the van, with two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of false representation of a Social Security number. Authorities have said she is in the country illegally.

Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza, 29, was the registered owner of the van involved in the crash and was also charged with two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of false representation of a Social Security number.

Franco del Cid was charged last week in Lyon County in connection with a crash involving a school bus in Cottonwood, Minn. where four children died. After the crash, Franco del Cid told authorities she was Alianiss Nunez Morales.

After the bus crash, authorities tried to verify Franco del Cid's identity, under the Morales name she gave authorities. That investigation led them to the real Alianiss Nunez Morales, who is in Connecticut. She told authorities her purse and identification documents had been stolen more than six months ago while she was living in Puerto Rico.

Two of Morales' relatives, when shown pictures of Franco del Cid said that was not their relative.

Authorities also believe Franco del Cid filled out I-9 forms claiming she was a U.S. citizen at two Minnesota companies where she was employed under Morales' name.

During a search of Franco del Cid's home on Feb. 22, authorities found her Guatemalan birth certificate and identification cards. Authorities said they also found numerous wire transactions between Franco del Cid and her mother in Guatemala.

Authorities said Sangabriel-Mendoza used a Social Security number that wasn't his to get a job. He is not in custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Authorities said Sangabriel-Mendoza is from Mexico and is also in the country illegally.

Franco del Cid and Sangabriel-Mendoza lived together in Minneota, Minn.

If convicted, Franco del Cid and Sangabriel-Mendoza could each face up to 14 years in prison.


http://wcco.com/crime/cottonwood.bus.cr ... 66127.html

If convicted, Franco del Cid and Sangabriel-Mendoza could each face up to 14 years in prison




Is this just on the additional charges? I read somewhere that she is facing up to 10 years for each count just involving the deaths of the children.





Authorities said Sangabriel-Mendoza used a Social Security number that wasn't his to get a job. He is not in custody and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Authorities said Sangabriel-Mendoza is from Mexico and is also in the country illegally.

Franco del Cid and Sangabriel-Mendoza lived together in Minneota, Minn




Of course he's not in custody. Providing he was not actually in the van....as some reports seem to suggest......this guy split just as soon as he found out what happened. In typical fashion, he wasn't about to take any responsibility for what happened.

The question remains though: if he didn't flee the crash, as even his girlfriend says he did, who alerted him to what happened so he knew not to show back up at the house or his job? Her family? Her lawyer?

It is my understanding these are FEDERAL charges because of the identity theft and mis-representation as a U.S. Citizen eligible for employment.

It's too bad there wasn't a picture of Sangabriel-Mendoza but I'm sure he's long left the area and already working with another id? Who knows but they seem to know how to move quickly when the law is on their behinds!!

Of course he's not in custody. Providing he was not actually in the van....as some reports seem to suggest......this guy split just as soon as he found out what happened. In typical fashion, he wasn't about to take any responsibility for what happened.

He is probably in Mexico by now!

Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza, 29, was the registered owner of the van involved in the crash and was also charged with two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of false representation of a Social Security number.

How did Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza register the van without a driver's license?

How did he finance the van?

A deputy with the Kandiyohi Sherrif's office pulled over the Plymouth Voyager after noticing the license plate wasn't easily visible.

According to the complaint, Melendez was driving with a learner's permit, but not a license. His girlfriend told the officer she did not have a state identification card or a driver's license. Melendez would later pay $187 in fines.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-105465-min ... ce+license

No mention is made to insurance on the van.


"We enforce our laws, and we defend law-abiding citizens. And we reserve the benefits of citizenship for legal residents."
Matt Blunt Governor of Missouri

this in from KSTP ABC affiliate in Minneapolis (essentially the same):

Charges filed against suspect in bus crash

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Prosecutors have filed federal charges against the woman accused of causing a fatal school bus crash near Cottonwood in southwestern Minnesota.

Twenty-four-year-old Olga Marino Franco del Cid is charged in federal court with two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of false representation of a Social Security number.

Prosecutors allege she gave authorities a false name and Social Security number after the crash February 19th, when four students were killed when a van she drove crashed into their school bus.

The same charges were also filed against 29-year-old Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza, also of Minneota. He was the registered owner of the van. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Franco was charged earlier in state court with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S363461.shtml?cat=1



This states that the charges are FEDERAL!

Feds reveal more about driver in fatal bus crash
The Associated Press

Prosecutors have filed federal charges against the woman accused of causing a fatal school bus crash near Cottonwood in southwestern Minnesota.

Twenty-four-year-old Olga Marino Franco del Cid is charged in federal court with two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of false representation of a Social Security number.

Prosecutors allege she gave authorities a false name and Social Security number after the crash February 19th, when four students were killed when a van she drove crashed into their school bus.

The same charges were also filed against 29-year-old Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza, also of Minneota. He was the registered owner of the van. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Franco was charged earlier in state court with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

Federal authorities say the real Alianiss Nunez-Morales, which is the name Franco del Cid used originally, lives in Connecticut. The real Morales claims her purse and ID were stolen in Puerto Rico several months ago.

In a raid at Franco del Cid's home, authorities found ID and other documents revealing her true identity.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article ... yid=500624

Originally Posted by MyAmerica

Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza, 29, was the registered owner of the van involved in the crash and was also charged with two counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of false representation of a Social Security number.

How did Francisco Sangabriel-Mendoza register the van without a driver's license?

How did he finance the van?

[quotex2xw5n2]A deputy with the Kandiyohi Sherrif's office pulled over the Plymouth Voyager after noticing the license plate wasn't easily visible.

According to the complaint, Melendez was driving with a learner's permit, but not a license. His girlfriend told the officer she did not have a state identification card or a driver's license. Melendez would later pay $187 in fines.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-105465-min ... ce+license

No mention is made to insurance on the van.


"We enforce our laws, and we defend law-abiding citizens. And we reserve the benefits of citizenship for legal residents."
Matt Blunt Governor of Missouri[/quotex2xw5n2]





Owning a vehicle and legally being able to drive it are two seperate things.

I know many older folks, as well as some disabled folks, who own vehicles even though someone else does the driving for them.

As for financing a vehicle, that's simple enough as well. Again, one does not need a driver's license to buy /own a car.

And, while it would be great to require anyone purchasing and/or registering a vehicle to have a license, such a thing would do harm to Americans and legal immigrants who cannot, or do not wish to, drive.

So, we need to come up with another solution.

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