Virginia DMV official, wife held for selling valid driver's licenses

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | July 13, 2005 | Jerry Seper

[bookworm100]

A Virginia man who worked as a manager at a Department of Motor Vehicles office at Springfield Mall and his wife, a former DMV clerk, were arrested yesterday by federal agents on charges of selling valid driver's licenses for as much as $3,500 each -- mostly to illegal aliens. U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty said Francisco J. Martinez, 57, and his wife, Miriam, 56, both of Stafford, Va., have been charged with conspiracy to commit identification fraud and conspiracy to produce Virginia driver's licenses by fraud, both felonies. If convicted, they could get 15 years in prison and fines totaling $250,000. Also arrested was Daniel Jose Guardia Lopez, 25, of Alexandria, a Bolivian national whom law-enforcement authorities identified as being in the United States illegally.,,

[bookworm100]

Tough to plug leaks.

[Peelod]

Public hanging for treason.

[jackbenimble]

Wasn't Virginia the source of many of the valid licenses carried by the 19 terrorists on 9/11? I hope this duo gets the maximum 15 years!

[FreePaul]

I'm waiting to see how hard they will try to find and prosecute those who bought the licenses from this criminal enterprise.

[hflynn]

How does 1 get arrested for selling valid licenses? Does the article actually say "valid". If so this reporter should be fired.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Let's hope that Mr. and Mrs. Martinez spend the next couple of decades making license plates.

[funkywbr]

Maybe we need to do a little racial profiling at places that illegals covet?~}

[sushiman]

The fine should total what these two will cost the taxpayers for food , clothing , cable tv , etc. for 15 years !

[eastforker]

Real instead of fake. A DL check by LEO would show the DL was in the system.

[PLK]

Francisco J. Martinez - gee, whoda thunk it.

[G.Mason]

Not to condone journalistic idiocy, but it prolly should have read "validated" licenses.

I know, I know ...

[F16Fighter]

"Tough to plug leaks."

Especially when the gub'mint is the one creating them with TNT.

[bookworm100]

How does 1 get arrested for selling valid licenses? Does the article actually say "valid". If so this reporter should be fired.

The article actually said "valid" (as one may tell by reading the excerpt). I suspect the reporter wanted to distinguish these sales from sales of fake licenses.

[Darnright]

Lookee here

[DoctorMichael]

Scumbags.

I'd like to say, "Lock 'em up and throw away the key", but that would be waaaaaaaaaaay too lenient.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Their punushment should reflect the harm they caused.

[DoctorMichael]

"....Their punushment should reflect the harm they caused...."

As a resident of Central/Southern Virginia, I like to officially apologize for the idjits we have in the DC-Beltway/Northern Virginia districts.

[Dustbunny]

Maybe we need to do a little racial profiling at places that illegals covet?~}

Yepper but the dems will never allow it.

[RSmithOpt]

the idjits we have in the DC-Beltway/Northern Virginia districts

No need to apologize. It's more than just something in the water up there.......toxic lethal levels PC radiation melting the minds of (so-self-called) educated people (idjits) that can not even begin to figure out that numbers and feelings usually don't jive.

[BIGZ]

Affirmative action in action.