Lodi DMV customer
arrested,
charged with document fraud
(Trenton) – A customer at the Division of Motor Vehicle agency in Lodi was arrested today charged with attempting to secure a New Jersey identification card with fraudulent documents.
Jaime Guallasaca, 37, of Ecuador, was arrested after he allegedly tried to obtain a photo license. Guallasaca presented documentation that he had passed his written and driving test at the Rahway agency and a bogus birth certificate.
Prior to issuing the photo license, a DMV inspected the birth certificate and noticed that the address for the hospital was incorrect. Police were summoned and Guallasaca was arrested. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
Law enforcement officials said Mr. Guallasaca told them he paid $2,000 to a person in Newark for the documents. He is the 42nd customer to be arrested at the Lodi DMV agency.
In the past six months, nearly 80 people have been arrested for using fraudulent documents to obtain New Jersey driver’s licenses at DMV agencies. DMV Director Diane Legreide attributes the arrests to the agency’s heightened awareness of the problem of identity theft.
"It is important for would-be lawbreakers to know that this Administration is committed to fighting document fraud," Legreide said. "Today’s arrest should serve as a warning that New Jersey’s DMV is not the place to go for fraudulent identification. If you come in with bogus identification, plan to leave in handcuffs."
In response to the growing problem of document fraud and identity theft, Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox and Attorney General David Samson announced the creation of a joint Document Fraud Task Force in October. The new training program is one of a series of corrective measures recommended by Gov. James E. McGreevey’s Fix DMV Commission.
The Commission recommended that DMV immediately institute document fraud training for the 500 employees at the division’s 45 agencies statewide. DMV staff, working in conjunction with the State Police, the Attorney General’s Office and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), developed a curriculum and a task force dedicated to training staff. The task force is being led by DMV fraudulent document expert, Joseph Vasil.
In the past four months, Vasil has conducted document fraud training classes for a total of 90 employees at nine DMV agencies.
|
