DMV workers accused of illegally issuing vehicle titles, driver's licenses

May 6, 2010 | 4:03 pm

Four state Department of Motor Vehicles employees were arrested Thursday on multiple felony counts for allegedly issuing illegal driver's licenses and vehicle titles, state officials said.

The workers are identified as Taneika Mashay Lathan, 22; Shavon Renae Shorter, 25; and Kimberly Nicole Sadler, 30, from the Los Angeles-Hope Street office, and Angelina Nanette James, 42, who worked at the agency's Fullerton office, according to a statement from the DMV.

The women, all part-time employees with the exception of Shorter, were booked at Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's facilities on suspicion of conspiracy, grand theft, illegal computer access, bribery and use of false documents to conceal residency status.

The investigation was conducted by the DMV's Internal Affairs office along with investigators from the California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. If convicted on all counts, each faces a maximum of four years in prison.

The employees are accused of distributing fraudulently issued vehicle records, including titles, as well as conspiring with a middleman to illegally issue driver's licenses. They allegedly charged $350 to $6,000 to fraudulently process the applications, state officials said.

In an unrelated case, Gonzalo Garcia, 40, a license registration examiner at the DMV's Hollywood office, was arrested on four felony counts each for alleged illegal access of DMV computers and falsification of public records. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

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