| TRENTON
– Attorney General Zulima V. Farber
today announced that two suspended Motor
Vehicle Commission (MVC) clerks employed
at the Trenton Regional Service Center have
been charged via state grand jury indictments
with selling driver’s licenses and
other official documents to unauthorized
persons.
Attorney
General Farber noted that separate indictments
charge the two defendants with official
misconduct, forgery, identity theft, tampering
with public records and related crimes.
The indictments charge that the suspended
clerks issued New Jersey driver’s
licenses and other official documents to
themselves and to individuals who paid up
to five hundred dollars per license and
who were not required to provide the MVC
with any of the required identification
to demonstrate their legal authority to
obtain a license.
“This
investigation and prosecution uncovered
instances where the illegally obtained driver’s
licenses were used as identification to
cash stolen checks in the Trenton area,”
said Attorney General Farber. “We
will continue to aggressively investigate
such crimes and prosecute the individuals
involved to the full extent of the law.”
“MVC
has zero tolerance for employees who do
not live up to security and safety standards,
and for those who attempt to receive fraudulent
documents," MVC Chief Administrator
Sharon Harrington said. "Together,
we will continue to stop document fraud
where it starts."
Division
of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A.
Paw said a 31-count state grand jury indictment
charged Tyrone G. Baxter (a/k/a Tymeek Baxter),
39, Zwolak Court, South Plainfield, Middlesex
County, with multiple counts of official
misconduct, bribery, forgery, tampering
with public records or information, falsifying
records, attempted theft by deception, and
identity theft.
A
separate indictment charged Betty Jean Dunkins,
42, Rutherford Avenue, Trenton, Mercer County,
with official misconduct, forgery, tampering
with public records or information and falsifying
records. Both Baxter and Dunkins were suspended
without pay from MVC employment pending
state grand jury indictment on the charges.
Director
Paw said the indictment alleges that Baxter,
while employed at the Trenton Regional Service
Center, used his position to create fraudulent
driver’s licenses and other official
documents using personal identification
information of existing people from the
MVC database. The indictment charged that
Baxter provided at least 20 fraudulent driver’s
licenses to individuals who paid between
$300 and $500 per document.
The
indictment also charges that Baxter prepared
fraudulent driver’s licenses and non-photo
identification for various fictitious identities,
including Tymeek Baxter and Tymaik Baxter.
Baxter also allegedly prepared fraudulent
title and registration documents for his
1989 Plymouth vehicle. A separate indictment
charged Dunkins with assisting Baxter to
produce fraudulent MVC documents.
“Efforts
to investigate and prosecute document fraud
focus on illegally obtained and/or fraudulent
driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations,
insurance cards, driver permits and related
identification documents such as U.S. passports,
social security cards, birth certificates,
county ID cards and other official documents,”
Director Paw said. “Renewed vigilance
and investigation will serve to uncover
areas of susceptibility. The Division of
Criminal Justice will vigorously prosecute
anyone involved in the black market trade
of illegitimate identification documents.”
The
indictments were handed-up to Mercer County
Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg on
March 27. The defendants will be issued
with a notice to appear in Mercer County
Superior Court for arraignment and bail.
The
investigation was conducted by DSG Anthony
Martin, Tpr. Lawrence Williams and Tpr.
William Carpenter assigned to the New Jersey
State Police Auto Unit - Document Fraud
Squad. Deputy Attorney General Philip Aronow
of the Division of Criminal Justice - Organized
Crime and Racketeering Bureau coordinated
the prosecution. Additional investigative
assistance was provided by the MVC Internal
Investigations Unit, state investigators
assigned to the Division of Criminal Justice
- Organized Crime and Racketeering Bureau
and the Trenton Police Department.
The
defendants are presumed innocent of the
charges unless and until proven guilty in
a court of law.
The
indictments are available via the Division
of Criminal Justice Web site at www.njdcj.org.
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