DMV Corruption Probe Has Netted 10 Guilty Pleas
OAKLAND – LAWFUEL – US Law – Law Jobs – United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced today that a “broker” who took bribes to assist individuals in obtaining bogus driver licenses was sentenced today for his role in a corruption ring run from the Claremont branch of the DMV. Adrian Gomez Zepeda, 31, of Oakland, was sentenced today by United States District Judge D. Lowell Jensen to 18 months in federal prison. Judge Jensen then ordered Zepeda back into state custody, where he awaits trial on unrelated state charges.
In all, 10 individuals, including five DMV employees and five “brokers,” have been charged in federal court in connection with this corruption investigation. All of them have pleaded guilty; four still await sentencing. Further information about the charges against these defendants is available at the links noted below. The prosecution is the result of a two-year investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
According to the Plea Agreement, from August 2004 to August 2005 Zepeda participated in a scheme to defraud the DMV and others of the right to the honest services of a DMV employee who was bribed to issue California driver licenses, identification cards, and vehicle registrations. Zepeda’s role in the scheme was to recruit clients who were willing to pay at least hundreds of dollars to obtain these fraudulent documents, who obtained driver licenses without having to take written or driving tests.
Doug Sprague is the Assistant United States Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Katie Glynn.
Any information concerning public corruption can be referred to the FBI’s Bay Area Public Corruption Hotline at: 1-800-376-5991.
Further Information:
Nine other individuals have been charged in connection with this public corruption investigation. For further information on those individuals, please click on the following links to related press releases:
*http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/press/html/2005_08_04_DMV.html
*http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/can/press/html/2006_03_10_dmv.robinson-ramirez.indictment.press.htm
A copy of this press release and related court filings may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Natalya LaBauve at (415) 436-7055 or by email at Natalya.LaBauve@usdoj.gov
