34 at MVD charged in fake-ID case
False licenses, other cards sold, indictments say
By Eric Swedlund and Barrett Marson
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
A three-year undercover investigation into
widespread corruption at Arizona Motor Vehicle Division offices resulted in the
indictments of 34 people suspected of making and selling fraudulent driver's
licenses, authorities said.
In one of the largest public corruption cases
in state history, MVD employees have for years been accepting bribes of up to
$3,500 for unlawfully providing state identification cards and driver's
licenses, according to indictments released Thursday.
Among those indicted are 26 current and former
employees of 10 MVD offices in Southern Arizona and the Phoenix area and eight
others suspected of brokering the sale of fake state-issued ID cards. The 94
pages of indictments also contain several charges of conspiracy. All but two
Phoenix-area suspects were arrested Thursday.
"These fraudulent documents would permit
individuals to travel from Arizona to Washington nonstop. They could be used to
open a fraudulent bank account. They could be used to buy a weapon," said
Jennifer Guerin, chief assistant U.S. attorney in Tucson. "They would permit an
individual who otherwise would not be permitted to cross the border to cross
through a Border Patrol checkpoint."
While authorities aren't certain how many
state-issued ID cards and driver's licenses were fraudulently produced, the
Operation Double Driver undercover investigation, which began in Tucson,
involved $70,000 in bribes and turned up more than 100 fraudulent licenses and
other documents. And officials expect to find more, said Roland Mignone
assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Tucson office.
MVD employees accepted bribes for issuing
fraudulent driver's licenses, identification
cards, commercial driver's licenses, hazardous-material certification and even a
Social Security card in one Phoenix case, Mignone said. The
fraud was the work of several pockets of illegal activity rather than a single
organization.
Of those arrested, 11 are current or former
MVD employees in Tucson, two are former employees in Sierra Vista, two are
current MVD employees in Douglas and one worked in Nogales.
The investigation started in December 2001
when an undercover Tucson police officer working for a counter-narcotics task
force received a tip that MVD employees were selling the IDs, said Kathleen
Robinson, assistant chief of the Tucson Police Department.
Undercover narcotics officers continued to
investigate and verified the fraudulent documents were being sold when they
purchased some, Robinson said, at which point the investigation was turned over
to the FBI and expanded to the Phoenix area.
Although investigators have uncovered no link
to terrorist activities, authorities said it is cause for worry about the
nation's security.
Guerin said those IDs were the "real McCoy"
and would be nearly impossible for anyone to tell they had been fraudulently
issued.
The maximum penalty for each count of
unlawfully producing identification documents is 15 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine
"To my knowledge, this is probably the largest
public corruption case in the history of our state," said Pima County Sheriff
Clarence Dupnik. "They have sold national security in a traitorous and
despicable fashion."
The indictments were announced at press
conferences in Tucson and Phoenix. In Phoenix, U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton said
authorities will never know how many fraudulent licenses were issued.
Nathan Gray, FBI assistant special agent in
charge, said law-enforcement officials will attempt to get as many names as
possible from the suspects.
"It is going to be near impossible to know
exactly all the people," Gray said.
Charlton warned MVD employees involved with
the scandal or who have knowledge of it to contact law enforcement.
Authorities said the workers who sold the fake
documents were allowed to continue with their jobs after undercover agents
purchased the IDs.
Law-enforcement officials did not want to blow
the investigation by arresting one or two suspects at a time. Thomas
Clinkenbeard, chief investigator for the MVD's Office of Special Investigation,
said the agency is going to try to get some of the licenses back.
"It's a huge concern but there are
accommodations that have to be made. You don't want to compromise the
investigation," Clinkenbeard said.
The workers are now on paid administrative
leave pending further action, Department of Transportation Director Victor
Mendez said. Mendez did not know how long that would last.
House Majority Whip Randy Graf, R-Green
Valley, said the investigation could lead to more support for Proposition 200,
which looks to cut down on fraud in the state's welfare programs and restrict
services available to illegal residents. A driver's license is proof of legal
residency in the state.
"It will certainly highlight the issue that
there is fraud activity going on out there," said Graf. "It highlights the
lengths people will go to and why as a state we have got to be more diligent."
Dupnik said that while it is possible illegal
entrants may have obtained fraudulent identification, authorities have no reason
to suspect there is any fraud in voting.
Saji Vettiyil, an attorney for Tucson
defendant Deborah Salcido, said she as well as other MVD employees deny any
involvement in the cases.
The investigation echoed a similar case in
2000 in which undercover officers exposed three separate rings selling fake
licenses and ID cards out of several Maricopa County MVD offices. A dozen people
were arrested, including four state employees, on charges of selling the fake
licenses and ID cards for up to $1,500 each.
Area charges
● The following Southern Arizonans were
indicted on various charges relating to the production and sale of fraudulent
driver's licenses and other identification documents:
Tucson MVD employees
Blanca Garavito, 41
Glenda Garcia, 22
Luz Yolanda Jaramillo, 33
Rebecca Lock, 44
Leticia Sanchez, 37
Santiago Jimmy Valenzuela, 47
Former Tucson MVD employees
Sandra Contreras, 28
Susana Galaviz-Nogales, 26
Rebecca Martinez, 39
Angelica Pinales, 30
Deborah Salcido, 32
Former Sierra Vista MVD employees
Monique Elzy, 26
Kristie Espinoza, 28
Douglas MVD employees
Rafael Escarcega, 48
Joe Saavedra, 47
Former Nogales MVD employee
Marissa Zamora, 25
Non-MVD employees
Molly Amaro, 32
Christopher Sanchez, 41
● Reporter Joseph Barrios contributed to this story. ●
Contact reporter Eric Swedlund at 629-9412 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
All content copyright © 1999-2004 AzStarNet,
Arizona Daily Star and its wire services and suppliers and may not be
republished without permission. All rights reserved. Any copying,
redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without
the expressed written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.