TRENTON
– Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa
announced that a Bergen County man pleaded
guilty today to acting as a broker in a conspiracy
involving a former clerk in the Lodi Motor
Vehicle Agency to illegally sell New Jersey
digital driver’s licenses to unauthorized
persons.
Hildeberto Salinas, 44, of Carlstadt, pleaded
guilty to second-degree charges of bribery
and conspiracy before Superior Court Judge
Patrick J. Roma in Bergen County. Under the
plea agreement, the state will recommend that
he be sentenced to four years in state prison
and be ordered to pay a $20,000 fine. Deputy
Attorney General Debra Conrad took the guilty
plea for the Division of Criminal Justice
Specialized Crimes Bureau. Sentencing for
Salinas is scheduled for April 27.
In
pleading guilty, Salinas admitted that he
brokered sales of New Jersey digital driver’s
licenses which were issued out of the Lodi
Motor Vehicle Agency to individuals who
did not have the required six points of
identification. On March 12, a former clerk
who participated in the scheme, Anne Marie
Manfredonia, 44, of Little Ferry, pleaded
guilty to second-degree conspiracy and third-degree
tampering with public records before Judge
Roma. The state will recommend that she
be sentenced to four years in prison, including
two years of parole ineligibility. She will
be permanently barred from public employment
in New Jersey.
Salinas
and Manfredonia were among 40 defendants
named in indictments unsealed on Dec. 5,
2011, which also alleged conspiracies to
illegally sell driver’s licenses out
of the East Orange, Edison, North Bergen
and Jersey City motor vehicle agencies.
In some cases, the customers, who are foreign
nationals, did not qualify for a license
because they were in the U.S. illegally.
In other cases, they lacked sufficient documentation.
The customers paid between $2,500 and $7,000
for a license or license renewal, and the
MVC clerks and brokers split the proceeds.
The indictments resulted from joint investigations
by the Division of Criminal Justice, Motor
Vehicle Commission and New Jersey State
Police.
The
investigations were conducted by members
of the Division of Criminal Justice MVC
Unit, within the Specialized Crimes Bureau;
the Motor Vehicle Commission’s Division
of Security, Investigation and Internal
Audit; and the New Jersey State Police Auto
Unit Document Fraud Squad.
Attorney
General Chiesa and Director Taylor noted
that the Division of Criminal Justice has
established a toll-free tipline 1-866-TIPS-4CJ
for the public to report corruption, financial
crime and other illegal activities. The
public can also log on to the Division of
Criminal Justice webpage at www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Division of Criminal
Justice tipline or webpage will remain confidential.
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