Posted on 12/23/2006 7:11:21 AM PST by Graybeard58
BRIDGEPORT -- A Waterbury woman who worked as an examiner for state Department of Motor Vehicles has been convicted of participating in a scheme to sell hundreds of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and felons.
Janette Rodriguez-Roman, 34, of 56 Diane Terrace in Waterbury, collapsed into sobs as the verdict was announced Thursday in Bridgeport Superior Court.
"Oh my God! Oh my God, my children, my children," she cried as marshals handcuffed her and led her away. Her lawyer said she has "four or five" children and was in process of adopting another.
Rodriguez-Roman was convicted of 38 counts, including violating the state Corrupt Organizations Racketeering Act and multiple counts of bribery, bribe receiving, conspiracy to commit bribe receiving and second-degree forgery.
She remains jailed on $400,000 bond. Her attorney, Robert Serafinowicz of New Haven, said she likely will appeal.
Rodriguez-Roman is the fifth former Bridgeport motor vehicles worker to be prosecuted in the scheme to sell thousands of illegal licenses, but the first to go to trial.
The other four have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced.
Serafinowicz said he believes the jury's decision was based more on fears of terrorists gaining licenses than hard evidence against his client.
He also attacked the credibility of the witnesses, noting one man had frequent run-ins with the law.
"I don't know how you would believe anything said by any of them beyond a reasonable doubt," Serafinowicz said.
Rodriguez-Roman faces up to 330 years in prison when she is sentenced Feb. 2.
The alleged ringleaders of the scheme, Venita Bines, of Bridgeport, and Tracy Stevenson-Lucas, of Stratford, are serving 7-year sentences.
Authorities said the defendants sold more than 1,500 licenses and nearly 1,000 Connecticut identification cards between June 2000 and December 2004. The state has recovered only a small portion of the licenses, authorities have said.
Ping
bttt
"The state has recovered only a small portion of the licenses, authorities have said." Now that she has been convicted, they should get cracking on cleaning this up. Those with fraudulent licenses need to be rounded up and deported for having broken our laws.
Do you think she meant her kids, or her clients?
That's not the standard. Any particular witness does not need to be believed beyond a reasonable doubt, only your client's guilt.
Sounds like she's a good candidate for a pardon. Didn't Bush just hand a bunch of them out?
She took her chances and went to trial, the others pled guilty and received 7 years. My impression is that she might have been relying on her motherhood for an out.
The moral of the story, is NEVER take a short cut in life. Don't ever put your self in a position where someone else can control your life.
Note the tone of the author is this article. Hardly fair and balanced.
Absolutely. My wife says she will never vote for Newt or Rudy. They are both known cheaters. For her, that trumps all the good things one might find in them.
I hate to see a mother with children go to jail, but thanks to her, 2500 illegals now have jobs, apartments and a foot in the door. Aye caramba!
Look on the bright side: She'll only be 364 when she gets out.
Woman faces up to 330 years.
Now that would send shock waves thru all the state's DMV's.
This will put fear into others participating in the same or similar schemes.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Look what happens when you believe that "everybody does it." Will Lieberman. Dodd and other promulgators of the lie take care of her children?
I have 2 or 3 kids myself, love them all.
That's not much longer than citizens have to wait to renew their licenses in states like mine (Tennessee) where illegals are given licenses.
330 years?? I think that's excessive
faces up to 330 years but that is not the sentence. But it looks good in the press.
She's worried about her children?!! She should have thought about that before she broke the law!
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