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TRENTON
– Attorney General Zulima V. Farber
announced that a former Motor Vehicle Commission
clerk at the East Orange MVC agency has
pleaded guilty to selling New Jersey digital
drivers’ licenses to unauthorized
persons.
Lawrence McCross, 28, of East Orange, formerly
a clerk at the East Orange MVC office, pleaded
guilty today to a charge of second-degree
conspiracy to commit official misconduct
before Superior Court Judge Joseph C. Cassini
III in Essex County. Under the plea agreement,
McCross faces up to seven years in state
prison when he is sentenced on July 21.
“By
selling drivers’ licenses to people
not authorized to obtain them, primarily
undocumented immigrants, this defendant
potentially compromised public safety and
security,” said Attorney General Farber.
“We remain vigilant and will continue
to dedicate the law enforcement resources
necessary to investigate and prosecute these
cases.”
At the guilty plea hearing today, McCross
admitted that he issued approximately 25
digital drivers’ licenses to individuals
despite the fact that they did not present
any of the required identification documents
to demonstrate their legal authority to
obtain a license. He was arrested by state
troopers on Feb. 28 following an investigation
by the New Jersey State Police Auto Unit-Document
Fraud Squad which revealed that he had been
selling licenses to unauthorized persons
for at least six months for an average fee
of $2,500 per license.
Deputy Attorney General Debra Conrad is
prosecuting the case. State Police Detective
Jeovanny Rodriguez led the investigation.
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