Investigation Resulted in 11 Defendants Pleading Guilty to Felony Charges
OAKLAND – LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced today that a husband and wife that took bribes to assist individuals in obtaining bogus drivers’ licenses were sentenced today for their roles in a corruption ring run from the Claremont branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). United States District Court Judge D. Lowell Jensen sentenced Jose Ramirez, 25, of San Leandro, to 18 months in federal prison, and Judge Jensen sentenced Ramirez’s wife, Raylynn Brooks, 29, to 5 years of probation. Ramirez and Brooks previously had pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit honest services mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
According to court documents, during the summer of 2005 Ramirez and Brooks participated in a scheme to defraud the DMV and others of the right to the honest services of a DMV employee whom they bribed to issue California driver licenses, identification cards, and vehicle registrations. Ramirez recruited clients who were willing to pay approximately $1000 to obtain these fraudulent documents. Ramirez and Brooks helped the clients prepare false paperwork, then they took that paperwork to a DMV employee, Marla Robinson, who took a cut of the bribe money, and, in return, processed the false documents for the clients of Ramirez and Brooks. These clients then received driver licenses without providing valid proof of citizenship and without taking the written or driving tests.
Judge Jensen previously sentenced Robinson to one year in federal prison, and she is now serving that sentence. In all, 11 individuals, including five DMV employees and six “brokers,” have pled guilty to felony charges in federal court and have been sentenced in connection with this corruption investigation. 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.
Doug Sprague is the Assistant U.S. 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:
Case Nos: CR 06-00146 DLJ and 07-00578 DLJ
