August 17, 2007

ICE and FHP seeks public's help in finding fugitive linked to driver's license fraud scheme

TAMPA - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) are soliciting the public's help to track down a 51-year-old Colombian national linked to a driver's license fraud scheme that operated out of Hillsborough County.

Gloria Ines Bustamante was charged by the state in April for her involvement in a driver's license conspiracy linked to a corrupt government employee who accepted money from illegal aliens to obtain legitimate driver's licenses. Bustamante, who has been on the run since then, is alleged to have served as the main recruiter for the organization.

Bustamante allegedly charged illegal aliens $1,200 to obtain legitimate driver's licenses. She then referred the illegal aliens to Deisy Oropesa, a former Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office employee who facilitated the fraud.

Oropesa, who was indicted on federal charges yesterday, allegedly entered false information into the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' computer system to reflect that those soliciting driver's licenses were presenting U.S. passports as evidence of their lawful status.

"We are confident that someone in our community will recognize this criminal and notify us," said Susan McCormick, deputy special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Tampa. "We have closed a serious security vulnerability and will work tirelessly to ensure that those involved in this scheme are brought to justice."

Anyone with information regarding Bustamante's whereabouts is encouraged to call ICE by dialing its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. The lines are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The investigation into this case continues and it is anticipated that additional arrests will be made in connection with this scheme.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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