Bogus Documents Linked to East Brunswick DMV Office

WINS News ^

[areafiftyone]

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Hundreds of fraudulent documents were issued at a Division of Motor Vehicle's office here, but no criminal charges have been filed because the agency cannot link the fraud to specific employees.

A recent state police audit of about 800 fraudulent documents found that 722 of them came from the East Brunswick office, DMV Director Diane Legreide said Wednesday. She said Rita Lambert, the office's former director who was among several DMV officials dismissed earlier this year, apparently was unaware of the fraud committed by staffers.

Speaking with editors at the Home News Tribune of East Brunswick, Legreide said an outdated computer system, lax security and a work force that has shrunk from 3,400 in 1992 to 1,150 today has made the DMV "the most vulnerable in the nation, and the easiest for terrorists to acquire documents."

The inability to hold agency employees accountable for their work is one reason the DMV needs $150 million to overhaul its computer system and improve security, she said. The Senate Transportation Committee was scheduled to hear testimony Thursday on the state's plan to revamp the division's operations.

Highlights of the plan include an $8 increase on vehicle registration fees and the creation of a seven-member Motor Vehicle Commission, whose members would include the attorney general, state treasurer, head of the state Department of Transportation and four private members. It would end the era of privatization begun in 1995 by Gov. Christie Whitman.

[eno_]

They are not trying hard enough. They can get fingerprints off papers, and use time-sheets and computer logs to match individuals to transactions. If hundreds of fraudulent transactions have been found, a pattern WILL emerge.

[areafiftyone]

You're right. Someone is protecting their butts.

[Unknown Freeper]

Didn't McGreedy just take the DMV back from the private carriers? Oh, and East Brunswick is just one more exit on the Turnpike-aka 95 south to DC, less than half an hour from Princeton, right up the road from the Hamilton Post office and the connections never end.

[Tacis]

" ..because the agency cannot link the fraud to specific employees."

Here's a hint. Check out the very fat black ladies. The one making 26 thou a year with the brand new Lexus with the gold spoke wheels is probably a pretty good place to start.

[bvw]

Seems like catching perps or increasing the standards of accountability is NOT the offical business. The official business is getting 150 mil to "upgrade systems", anothe XX mil to "hire a security consultant and/or establish a 'security' department", and still another XX mil to hire at least 150 new unionized permanent pensionaires.

Face it, the bureaucrats and their political agents are far more adept at terroristic extortion than any nutty hate-bred muslim

[Shermy]

Ping.

[genefromjersey]

Problem 1: DMV investigates DMV. The State Police involvement was almost a fluke.

Problem 2 : DMV workers are doing their best to spin this off as one of the evils of "privatization" ...which it VERY clearly was NOT !

Problem 3 : Our fearless ( should that be feckless ? ) Governor made campaign promises to the Civil Service unions,and dares not break them. One such promise was to restore DMV to all its former over-staffed and hideously inefficient glory. ( This is under way , in the name of " increased security ".)

[Libertina]

Fraudulent documents... What KIND of fraudulent documents?