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The United States Attorney's Office Public Affairs Office: Press Release FORMER HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY IN DRIVERS’ LICENSE SCAMJuly 26, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Barbara Barnet, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Jesus Torres, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, and Sandra C. Lambert, Director of the State of Florida Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), announced that defendant Marta Carina Pinto, of Miami, a former 17-year DHSMV employee pled guilty today in Miami before United States District Judge Marcia G. Cooke to conspiring to unlawfully produce and transfer State of Florida drivers' and commercial drivers’ licenses. At sentencing, Pinto faces a maximum statutory sentence of fifteen (15) years imprisonment. Sentencing has been scheduled for October 4, 2006. As the Government set forth in Court today, Pinto used her position as a drivers’ license examiner with DHSMV, the state agency responsible for the issuance of driver’s licenses, to fraudulently process approximately 80 to 100 drivers’ licenses and commercial drivers’ licenses on behalf of individuals who were not lawfully entitled to such licenses, because they were illegally in the United States. Pinto fraudulently processed the drivers’ license information by designating United States citizenship status for individuals she believed were illegal aliens. Pinto was paid approximately $700 to $1000 for each license she fraudulently produced. Mr. Acosta commends the investigative efforts of the United States Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Florida Highway Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jose A. Bonau. A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. Technical comments about this website can be e-mailed to the Webmaster. PLEASE NOTE: The United States Attorney's Office does not respond to non-technical inquiries made to this website. If you wish to make a request for information, you may contact our office at 305-961-9001, or you may send a written inquiry to the United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, 99 NE 4th Street, Miami, Fl. 33132. |