Fraudulent driver's license ring busted

ALBUQEURQUE (KRQE) - The feds have busted a fraudulent driver's license ring Wednesday, they say provided New Mexico driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in other states for a price.

Thirty eight people from New Mexico, North and South Carolina have been charged in connection with the ring.

According to federal indictments people in North and South Carolina would pay $2,500 and would get utility bills in their name with a New Mexico address. The person would then hand in those documents to MVD as proof they lived here.

New Mexico residents Alfred Padilla and Ivon Baray-Luna are accused of allowing the use of their addresses.

Alfredo Saenz, the owner of Old School of Driving is accused of providing proof the illegal immigrants passed driving tests knowing they would be used fraudulently.

Two New Mexico notary publics Victor Alvarez and Elizabeth Lopez are accused of notarizing documents to be handed into MVD, that they knew would be used fraudulently.

Many of the other people charged in the case were based out of North and South Carolina and had allegedly been operating since 2009.

Tax and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla says her office worked closely with the feds in this investigation, identifying 164 driver's licenses that were fraudulently obtained. Padilla says all are being suspended immediatly.

Padilla says her office is constantly working to identify fraudulently obtained licenses. They now require all foreign national licenses to be reviewed by a single person so they can see patterns such as the same address being used multiple times.

Her office has also recently purchased a machine which can detect fraudulent documents like utility bills which are often altered.

Padilla says her office has worked some 7,000 man hours trying to detect this fraud and she believes it will continue as long as New Mexico allows illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses.

"It's a cat and mouse game and we will keep playing it." says Padilla

Governor Susana Martinez has worked to repeal the law but has been unsuccessful. She says she'll try again in the next legislative session.