Post by humbleangel on Aug 16, 2006 15:38:43 GMT -5
Cops: Phony driver's license ring nailed
Charges: MVC worker supplied them for illegal immigrants
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/15/06
BY ANDREA ALEXANDER
FREEHOLD BUREAU
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission worker and a second suspect have been arrested on charges they supplied fraudulent driver's licenses, mostly to illegal immigrants. The arrests Friday came after the accomplice sold a license for $2,300 to an undercover state trooper, authorities said.
Valerie Materia, 48, of Jackson, second in command at the MVC office in Freehold Township, provided at least 15, and perhaps more than 50, fake driver's licenses to Elvis Castro, 26, of Sayreville, State Police Capt. Al Della Fave said. Castro acted as a broker, selling the licenses, Della Fave said.
After a six-month investigation by the State Police Auto Unit, the trooper posed as a customer trying to obtain a fraudulent digital driver's license. The trooper met with Castro Friday to complete the transaction, Della Fave said. Materia and Castro were then arrested and the money was retrieved by the State Police, Della Fave said.
The licenses were sold to people who did not have the paperwork required to obtain one legally, Della Fave said. Castro was undocumented himself, Della Fave said.
Castro's girlfriend, Yeni Duarte-Quiroa, 25, of Sayreville also was charged in the case but played a minor role, Della Fave said. Castro and his girlfriend did not work for the Motor Vehicle Commission, Della Fave said.
Police were able to confirm 15 cases, but believe more than 50 fraudulent licenses may have been issued, Della Fave said. The investigation is continuing, and others could be charged, Della Fave said.
Materia was charged with 15 counts of official misconduct, pattern to commit official misconduct, tampering with public records, forgery and conspiracy, Della Fave said. She was released on $35,000 bail, he said.
No one answered the door Monday at Materia's two-story home on Bartley Road in Jackson.
Materia will face a hearing today to determine if she will be suspended without pay from her $41,000-year-job as a customer service representative, said Mike Horan, spokesman for the MVC.
Castro has been charged with conspiracy to commit official misconduct, official misconduct and conspiracy with others and is being held at the Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township, on $100,000 bail, Della Fave said. Duarte-Quiroa, Castro's girlfriend, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with public records and released, Della Fave said.
The Motor Vehicle Commission has stepped up efforts to enhance security as a result of reforms adopted in 2003, Horan said.
"Five years ago, this type of activity could have gone undetected," Horan said. "Due to the measures we have in place, we are able to protect the integrity of our system."
The commission began issuing digital drivers' licenses in January 2004, Horan said.
The new licenses are hard to reproduce, Della Fave said. Since the changeover, authorities are focused not on counterfeiters who used to manufacture fake licenses, but rather on MVC personnel who sometimes provide licenses without proper documentation, Della Fave said.
"Once digital licenses are in a person's possession, it would be difficult to realize it wasn't (legitimately) issued," Della Fave said.
More than 60 MVC employees have been arrested since the 2003 reforms were enacted in an effort to weed out fraud and abuse, Horan said.
The MVC also requires State Police criminal background checks on all new and existing employees, Horan said.
Staff writer James A. Quirk contributed to this story.
Charges: MVC worker supplied them for illegal immigrants
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/15/06
BY ANDREA ALEXANDER
FREEHOLD BUREAU
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission worker and a second suspect have been arrested on charges they supplied fraudulent driver's licenses, mostly to illegal immigrants. The arrests Friday came after the accomplice sold a license for $2,300 to an undercover state trooper, authorities said.
Valerie Materia, 48, of Jackson, second in command at the MVC office in Freehold Township, provided at least 15, and perhaps more than 50, fake driver's licenses to Elvis Castro, 26, of Sayreville, State Police Capt. Al Della Fave said. Castro acted as a broker, selling the licenses, Della Fave said.
After a six-month investigation by the State Police Auto Unit, the trooper posed as a customer trying to obtain a fraudulent digital driver's license. The trooper met with Castro Friday to complete the transaction, Della Fave said. Materia and Castro were then arrested and the money was retrieved by the State Police, Della Fave said.
The licenses were sold to people who did not have the paperwork required to obtain one legally, Della Fave said. Castro was undocumented himself, Della Fave said.
Castro's girlfriend, Yeni Duarte-Quiroa, 25, of Sayreville also was charged in the case but played a minor role, Della Fave said. Castro and his girlfriend did not work for the Motor Vehicle Commission, Della Fave said.
Police were able to confirm 15 cases, but believe more than 50 fraudulent licenses may have been issued, Della Fave said. The investigation is continuing, and others could be charged, Della Fave said.
Materia was charged with 15 counts of official misconduct, pattern to commit official misconduct, tampering with public records, forgery and conspiracy, Della Fave said. She was released on $35,000 bail, he said.
No one answered the door Monday at Materia's two-story home on Bartley Road in Jackson.
Materia will face a hearing today to determine if she will be suspended without pay from her $41,000-year-job as a customer service representative, said Mike Horan, spokesman for the MVC.
Castro has been charged with conspiracy to commit official misconduct, official misconduct and conspiracy with others and is being held at the Monmouth County Jail, Freehold Township, on $100,000 bail, Della Fave said. Duarte-Quiroa, Castro's girlfriend, was charged with conspiracy to tamper with public records and released, Della Fave said.
The Motor Vehicle Commission has stepped up efforts to enhance security as a result of reforms adopted in 2003, Horan said.
"Five years ago, this type of activity could have gone undetected," Horan said. "Due to the measures we have in place, we are able to protect the integrity of our system."
The commission began issuing digital drivers' licenses in January 2004, Horan said.
The new licenses are hard to reproduce, Della Fave said. Since the changeover, authorities are focused not on counterfeiters who used to manufacture fake licenses, but rather on MVC personnel who sometimes provide licenses without proper documentation, Della Fave said.
"Once digital licenses are in a person's possession, it would be difficult to realize it wasn't (legitimately) issued," Della Fave said.
More than 60 MVC employees have been arrested since the 2003 reforms were enacted in an effort to weed out fraud and abuse, Horan said.
The MVC also requires State Police criminal background checks on all new and existing employees, Horan said.
Staff writer James A. Quirk contributed to this story.
