Fraud Scheme Supplied Over 3,500 Missouri Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Aliens
Federal prosecutors announced that 14 defendants are accused of running a fraud scheme that supplied more than 3,500 Missouri driver’s licenses to illegal aliens across the nation. The scheme, which sought licenses from a St. Joseph, Missouri facility between November 2009 and January 2012, allegedly made more than $5 million.
Four defendants have pleaded or are scheduled to plead guilty in federal court for their roles in the scheme, which involved supplying illegal aliens with fraudulent birth certificates and Social Security cards and helping them through the license acquisition process.
Four members of the Vanvacter/Gonzalez family admitted coaching illegal aliens to: memorize information on real birth certificates and Social Security cards; match signatures; and answer questions that employees could ask about the documents. The scheme also involved accompanying illegal aliens to the license office disguised as translators. The defendants – all citizens or legal residents -- each face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
An illegal-alien defendant in the case, Ranfe Adaias Hernandez-Flores, is charged with two counts of bringing in and harboring illegal aliens and one count of defrauding the United States. He is expected to be arraigned next month along with other illegal-alien and citizen defendants.
Just a few weeks ago, federal prosecutors announced the indictment of two other illegal aliens in a separate document fraud case that helped more than 100 illegal aliens get licenses from the same office in St. Joseph.
For more information, read here and here.