Illegals part of scheme to obtain hundreds of driver's licenses (Gaston Gazette)

Illegals part of scheme to obtain hundreds of driver's licenses

September 15, 2009 7:13 AM
Kevin Ellis

Three Hispanics were put in Gaston County Jail on Monday for allegedly offering $300 bribes to a driver's license examiner.

The two men and woman each allegedly offered $300 cash to examiner H.I. Bolton, who was working at the Division of Motor Vehicles office on West Franklin Boulevard, according to warrant affidavits.

Claudia Morales Rodriquez, 29, 1620 Herman Drive, Gastonia, Juan Alberto Vasquez, 37, 108 Shady Grove Road, Kings Mountain, and Alfredo Lopez Hernandez, 1620 Herman Drive, each face charges of offering bribes.

All three were given bonds of $10,000, although their release remains on hold by Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending a review of their immigration status, according to Gaston County Sheriff's Office.

The arrest of the three in Gaston County were part of five arrests, including two in Rutherford County.

DMV inspectors arrested Mario Ziranda, 35, and Elvis Sanchez, 28, at their residence at 272 Roberson Lane, Forest City, on common law forgery and manufacturing North Carolina driver licenses. Sanchez has no legal United States documentation. Both are being held on $75,000 secured bond in the Rutherford County jail.

The arrests resulted from an investigation into the operation of a document lab which contained equipment and materials to manufacture counterfeit resident alien cards, Social Security cards, birth certificates and driver licenses from six states, according to a release from the DMV.

A Gaston County driver license examiner assisted in the investigation. Annually, the License and Theft Bureau performs more than 3,600 fraud investigations.

Search warrants issued at the Forest City residence resulted in ledgers indicating hundreds of fake document sales weekly. Driver licenses from California, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio and North Carolina were found at the location, along with Social Security cards and a Maryland birth certificate. Also seized at the location was $8,000 in cash and 15 grams of cocaine.

License and theft inspectors from Gaston, Burke, Lincoln, Catawba and Cleveland counties conducted the investigations and made the arrests. Law enforcement officials from the Gastonia Police Department, Forest City Police Department and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrests.