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Driver’s License Bribery Scheme Rocks Brockton RMV
A brazen scheme to bribe a road test examiner at the Brockton Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has come to light, with the owner of a local driving school taking the fall. Estevao Semedo, 61, of Brockton, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani.
According to court documents, Semedo conspired to defraud the RMV into issuing driver’s licenses to applicants who did not pass the road test. He allegedly paid a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV service center to misrepresent to the RMV that certain driver’s license applicants had passed their road test when, in fact, they had not. Some of the applicants did not even show up to take the test.
As a result of the fraud, the RMV mailed driver’s licenses to unqualified applicants. In total, Semedo paid the road test examiner no less than $17,000 in bribes in exchange for fraudulent passing scores on road tests.
The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charging document also seeks a $17,000 forfeiture money judgment against Semedo.
Semedo’s guilty plea marks a significant victory for law enforcement, which had been investigating the scheme for months. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), with valuable assistance provided by the Mattapoisett Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Wichers and Adam Deitch of U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins’ Public Corruption & Special Prosecutions Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit.
Estevao Semedo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 1, 2023. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as significant fines and a forfeiture judgment.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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