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TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that six people were indicted
today, including a Motor Vehicle Commission
clerk, in connection with an alleged conspiracy
to sell driver’s licenses to unauthorized
persons.
According to Director Paw, the indictment
charges five men with second-degree charges
of conspiracy and official misconduct, as
well as other offenses, for allegedly brokering
the sale of driver’s licenses from
the Motor Vehicle Commission to customers
who did not have the necessary six points
of identification. The indictment also charges
the sister of one of the men with hindering
police in their investigation.
The
licenses allegedly were provided with the
help of defendant Darnell Lamont ,
37, of Trenton, who worked as a clerk at
the Trenton Regional Motor Vehicle Agency.
was suspended without pay following
his arrest in February 2005.
Also
indicted was the alleged ringleader of the
operation, Steve Alberto Gonzalez, 26, of
Hamilton. Gonzalez’s sister, Yessica
Olga Gonzalez, 28, of Trenton, a senior
clerk typist in the New Jersey Department
of Law & Public Safety, was charged
with hindering apprehension or prosecution
for allegedly giving false information about
her brother to the police.
The
other defendants in the case allegedly arranged
for people to get New Jersey driver’s
licenses without the underlying documentation
and received $2,500 to $3,000 in exchange
for the service.
"The
sale of official documents to unauthorized
persons is a serious crime, particularly
in this post-9/11 world. False identifications
can readily be used to commit other crimes,"
said Attorney General Rabner. "This
indictment alleges that for these defendants,
driver’s licenses were just commodities
to sell to line their pockets."
"We
must ensure that those charged with issuing
official forms of identification obey the
law and procedures designed to safeguard
the public," said Director Paw. "We’ll
continue to aggressively investigate and
prosecute these cases in partnership with
the State Police Auto Unit."
The
case was investigated by detectives assigned
to the State Police Auto Unit Document Fraud
Squad, working with investigators from the
Motor Vehicle Commission and the Mercer
County Prosecutor’s Office. Deputy
Attorneys General Erin Callahan and Philip
Aronow are handling the case for the Division
of Criminal Justice.
The
indictment includes the following defendants
and charges:
-
,
47, charged with second-degree conspiracy,
four counts of second-degree official
misconduct, engaging in a pattern of official
misconduct (second degree), and four counts
of tampering with public records or information
(third degree);
- Steve
Alberto Gonzalez,
26, indicted on the same charges as .
- Danielson
Tomes Munoz,
36, of Trenton, indicted on the same charges
as .
-
Jose Estuardo Chacon,
34, of North Plainfield, indicted on the
same charges as .
-
Jose Alfredo Conde-Hernandez,
39, formerly of Princeton, charged with
second-degree conspiracy, one count of
second-degree official misconduct, and
one count of tampering with public records
or information (third degree). Conde-Hernandez
was deported following his arrest.
- Yessica
Olga Gonzalez, 28, charged with
hindering apprehension or prosecution
(third degree).
Second-degree
crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years
in state prison and a criminal fine of $150,000,
while third-degree crimes carry a maximum
sentence of five years in prison and a fine
of $15,000. The indictment is merely an
accusation and the defendants are presumed
innocent until proven guilty.
The
-et-al-indict-1.11.07.pdf" target="_blank">indictment
was handed up today in Superior Court in
Mercer County.
Attorney
General Rabner and Director Paw noted that
the Division of Criminal Justice - Special
Prosecutions Bureau has established a toll-free
Corruption Tipline for the public to report
corruption, financial crime and other illegal
activities. The statewide Corruption Tipline
is 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally,
the public can log on to the Division of
Criminal Justice Web site at www.njdcj.org
to report suspected wrongdoing. All information
received through the Division of Criminal
Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will
remain confidential.
>>
-et-al-indict-1.11.07.pdf" target="_blank">View
Indictment (536k pdf) plug-in
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