Cheryl Huff, Fraud Driver’s License Scandal, Tennessee 2024

Knoxville, Tenn. – In a shocking scandal that rocked the state of Tennessee, Cheryl Huff, 49, and her husband Mario Paz-Mejia, 51, were sentenced to prison for conspiring to produce over 100 false Tennessee driver’s licenses and identification cards.

According to court documents, Huff, a former District Manager for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, managed and supervised employees at Driver Service Centers in the Greater Knoxville area. Using her access to internal software, Huff confirmed that false citizenship and residency documents could be used to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license or identification card.

Paz, who recruited individuals who were not lawfully qualified to receive a Tennessee driver’s license, represented to his customers that he could obtain one for them in return for $2,500. He also assisted his customers in obtaining false citizenship and residency documents, including fraudulent lease agreements and false birth certificates.

Huff knew or deliberately ignored a high probability that Paz was helping his customers obtain false documents and charged them money to obtain a Tennessee driver’s license or identification card. She used her access to TDSHS’s internal software to confirm that the names and information on the false documents could be used to obtain a license.

U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III made the announcement, stating that the prosecution was the result of an ongoing investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division, the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the United States Secret Service.

On May 24, 2024, Huff was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Paz was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrate the commitment of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to holding accountable those who seek to undermine the integrity of government-issued identification documents.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Roach Jr. of the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Cheryl Huff, 49, of Knoxville, was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for conspiring to produce over 100 false Tennessee driver’s licenses and identification cards. Mario Paz-Mejia, 51, of Knoxville, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for his role in the scam.

The exact date of the crime is not specified, but the sentencing occurred on May 24, 2024.

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