Young-Kyu Park, Driver’s License Fraud, New Jersey 2014

NEWARK, N.J. – Young-Kyu Park, 58, the leader of a multi-state scheme to fraudulently obtain driver’s licenses for illegal aliens and other ineligible individuals, was sentenced to 72 months in prison.

Park, formerly a resident of Fort Lee, New Jersey, and later a resident of Los Angeles, California, previously pleaded guilty to Counts One through Three of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to produce identification and false identification documents; conspiracy to steal government property and transport stolen property in interstate commerce, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Park was the leader of a criminal enterprise operating in Palisades Park, New Jersey, Fort Lee, and in other states. He was one of 22 people charged in June 2012 with allegedly providing a suite of unlawful services to individuals illegally residing in the United States, including fraudulently obtaining driver’s licenses, and investor and student visas.

The Park Criminal Enterprise illegally obtained driver’s licenses genuinely issued by New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Nevada, and elsewhere. To do so, it acquired, created, and counterfeited a variety of documents for sale to customers. Members of the Park Criminal Enterprise also escorted customers to various state motor vehicle agencies and coached them on obtaining the licenses. In return, customers each paid the Park Criminal Enterprise a fee of $3,000 to $4,500 for the unlawful services.

Park fraudulently obtained, completed and sold genuine I-797 forms for customers to get licenses. An I—797 form is used by the federal government, including USCIS, to communicate with others or convey an immigration benefit. State agencies that issue driver’s licenses rely on these forms to verify the authenticity of an applicant’s foreign passport and to verify the applicant’s lawful presence in the United States.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Faith S. Hochberg sentenced Park to two years of supervised release, fined him $10,000 and ordered forfeiture of $1.2 million.

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