Illegal Driver’s Licenses Schemes Broken up in 2 States

In two separate incidents, officials in Rhode Island and the District of Columbia said they have broken up schemes in which motor vehicle department clerks issued illegal driver’s licenses in exchange for cash.

A woman working at the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has
pleaded guilty to a bribery charge stemming from the sale of driver’s licenses to people who did not qualify for them.

Thirty-nine-year-old Patricia Gonzalez of Takoma Park, Md., admitted issuing about 200 driver’s licenses to immigrants who were either ineligible for licenses or had not met the requirements.

According to prosecutors, Gonzalez received $500 to $1,000 for each license. She is to be sentenced August 14.

Prosecutors say the illegal transactions spanned more than two years. Gonzalez was arrested in January.

In a separate incident, a former clerk for the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles has been indicted for fraudulently creating fake driver’s licenses in return for money.

Dolores Rodriguez LaFlamme pleaded not guilty last week to conspiracy, fraudulently producing drivers licenses and identity theft. If convicted, she faces up to 17 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors say LaFlamme created driver’s licenses for people who could not legally get them. People seeking licenses generally paid intermediaries between $700 to $2,500. Some of the money then went to LaFlamme, who created the licenses working with another person whom prosecutors haven’t identified.

State police arrested LaFlamme in October.