Former DMV employee Alfonso Casarez was charged with 14 others on 34 counts of unlawful production and transfer of ID documents.
They're also charged with criminal conspiracy. The Department of Justice says it was a scheme to sell California drivers licenses to people who shouldn't have them.
Casarez used to work at the DMV on Olive Avenue in Fresno. He was a senior motor vehicle technician. The indictment charges Casarez tampered with DMV records. They were altered to show applicants had passed their Class A or Class C drivers tests, when in fact, they had not.
In a statement, US Attorney Ben Wagner says, "Such schemes can put dangerous drivers on the road and endanger the public."
Casarez is also accused of taking payment for altering records. DMV George Valverde says buying fraudulent licenses is just as bad as selling them. "The serious threat posed by those who illegally purchased their drivers licenses is equally as criminal as the unlawful selling of these documents."
A total of 15 were arrested. Most are from Madera with one as far away as Salinas. All pleaded not guilty in a Fresno federal courtroom.
TXT 24
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