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Colorado revokes 300-plus CDLs
By Lance Orr
The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles is revoking more than 300 commercial driver’s licenses.
Two Colorado DMV examiners sold the fraudulent documents to illegal immigrants, said Diane Reimer, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Revenue, which oversees the DMV.
Letters of revocation are being mailed to the holders of fraudulently issued licenses, Reimer said. “They are being asked to come to a DMV office with proof that they qualify for a Colorado commercial driver’s license and that they are legal citizens.”
Both Janet Gonzalez, 35, and Virginia Villegas, 48, have been fired and charged with federal crimes.
According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, Gonzalez worked at the DMV’s Northglenn office. In July and August 2004, prosecutors allege, Gonzalez received $2,000 in exchange for providing an illegal alien a CDL. The alleged mailing of the CDL makes the case a federal matter.
Gonzalez is charged with using U.S. mail to solicit and accept a bribe. If convicted, she faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. She is also charged with fraud in connection with identification documents, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in federal prison and another $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors charge that Villegas was seen accepting $400 from a foreign national in exchange for a CDL and was involved in a number of suspicious transactions. She is charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identification documents. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Gonzalez has worked for the Department of Revenue since 1995 and the DMV since 1997. Villegas has worked for the Department of Revenue since 1990 and for the DMV since 2001.
A third suspect, Juan Pablo Beltran, 39, has been indicted by a grand jury.
Beltran was not a DMV employee but allegedly helped Gonzalez sell the licenses. He is charged with attempt and conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identification documents. If convicted, he faces 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Gonzalez, Villegas and Beltran are all out on bond with trial date set for March, said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office.
“Investigations into who obtained the CDLs are still under way,” Dorschner said.
Fraud schemes involving CDLs have been investigated in 21 states in the past five years. More than 75 investigations have found more than 8,000 CDLs issued to drivers who obtained them through corrupt testing processes, said Kenneth Mead, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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