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UNITED STATES ATTORNEY ALEXANDRIA NEWPORT NEWS NORFOLK RICHMOND CHUCK ROSENBERG UNITED STATES ATTORNEY |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
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May 8, 2007 |
NEWS RELEASE
(Richmond, Virginia) – Danitza Johnson, age 30, of Fredericksburg, pled guilty to today to unlawfully transferring identification documents, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1028(a)(2). She faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced by Judge Payne on August 10, 2007. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and D.B. Smitt Commissioner, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles announced the plea.
Johnson’s conviction arose out of a scheme to transfer authentic Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards to illegal aliens. Prior to her arrest, Johnson had been employed as a teller at the DMV Customer Service Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In that capacity, she was responsible for handling individual applications for Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards. Johnson admitted that she had been trained in DMV procedures, which provide that no license or identification card may be issued without verifying an applicant’s legal presence in the United States. An applicant can establish legal presence by presenting certain official documents, including a United States birth certificate or passport.
Despite her knowledge of the statutory “legal presence” requirements, Johnson assisted in transferring authentic DMV Duplicate Driver’s Licenses to illegal aliens in exchange for significant sums of money. On January 11, 2007, Johnson created and transferred three Duplicate Driver’s Licenses to illegal aliens without verifying each individual’s legal presence in the United States. Johnson admitted that she knew that the recipients of these licenses were not legally within the United States and could not satisfy the “proof of legal presence” requirements. In exchange for creating and transferring these licenses, Johnson received approximately $3,000 in cash.
The investigation was conducted by the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Special Investigations Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Gill is prosecuting the case for the United States.