BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – A Dominican national was sentenced to 2 years in prison for his role in a scheme to produce false identification documents through the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).
Angel Miguel Beltre Tejeda, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. to 2 years in prison and 1 year of supervised release. Tejeda will be deported following completion of his sentence.
Tejeda was arrested in August 2017, along with five others, and pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft in October 2017.
The RMV issues identification documents such as drivers’ licenses, learners’ permits and state identification cards. To prevent people from obtaining a fraudulent identification document, the RMV maintains systems to verify whether applicants’ identity information is accurate.
From 2016 to the spring of 2017, Tejeda participated in a scheme to issue Massachusetts identification cards and driver’s licenses to individuals who presented identification documents in identities other than their own. These identification documents included Puerto Rican birth certificates and U.S. Social Security cards that were either counterfeit, genuine but fraudulently obtained, or genuine but altered.
The scheme involved several steps. First, Tejeda would obtain identification documents belonging to United States citizens in Puerto Rico and sell them to clients who were seeking legitimate identities in Massachusetts. These clients included illegal aliens, individuals who were previously deported, and an individual who admitted to previously facing drug charges. Tejeda received hundreds of dollars when he sold an identity document as part of this scheme.
RMV clerks participating in this scheme would then accept hundreds of dollars in cash to illegally issue authentic RMV documents, including Massachusetts licenses and ID cards. The clerks also accepted bribes to use the RMV’s system to run queries, including Social Security number audits, to confirm that the identities the clients were stealing actually belonged to verifiable individuals.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Lelling’s Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit. United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; and Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement.
Tejeda’s scheme involved the production and distribution of fake identification documents, highlighting the importance of verifying identity information to prevent such crimes.
The RMV’s systems and procedures are in place to prevent the issuance of fraudulent identification documents, and this case serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the integrity of these systems.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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