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Defendant’s Scheme to Obtain Driver’s Licenses for Ineligible Applicants Exposed
BOSTON – In a shocking case of identity theft and fraud, Helbert Costa Generoso, a 41-year-old Brazilian national unlawfully residing in Danbury, Connecticut, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to obtain driver’s licenses for ineligible applicants, primarily illegal aliens.
Costa Generoso, who was charged along with four co-conspirators in December 2024, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents, and one count of furnishing a false passport to another for use. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman has scheduled sentencing for October 2, 2025.
The scheme, which operated from November 2020 to September 2024, involved Costa Generoso and his co-conspirators fraudulently procuring driver’s licenses for illegal alien customers who resided in states that prohibited them from obtaining driver’s licenses. The co-conspirators allegedly charged approximately $1,400 per customer for the service.
To avoid detection, the co-conspirators created fake driver’s education certificates of completion, supposedly from New York driving schools, and forged the signatures of driving school staff on the fake certificates. They also conspired to obtain several pictures of the customers sitting down, making it look as if they were taking the permit tests. When prompted by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (NY DMV) to take pictures during the tests, they uploaded the pictures that the customers previously provided – purporting to show that it was the customers who were taking the tests, not the defendants.
The co-conspirators also conspired to meet Massachusetts-based customers at locations in Massachusetts and drive them to NY DMV branch locations. When they arrived at the NY DMV locations, the defendants allegedly gave the customers fraudulent documents falsely purporting to demonstrate that the customers resided in New York. The customers provided these fake records to the NY DMV staff, and the NY DMV relied on the misrepresentations to issue New York driving permits to the customers.
Costa Generoso also charged $1,400 to obtain fraudulent foreign passports in the customers’ names, to be used as identification in the driver’s license applications. The passports were allegedly used to create fake identities for the customers, making it easier for them to obtain the driver’s licenses.
The scheme highlights the brazen nature of identity theft and the lengths to which some individuals will go to obtain false identification. As the case unfolds, it is clear that Costa Generoso and his co-conspirators were involved in a sophisticated and well-organized scheme to defraud the system and obtain driver’s licenses for ineligible applicants.
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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