09-15-04 -- Galarza, Juvenal -- Guilty Plea -- News Release

Tenth Guilty Plea in Federal DMV Corruption Probe

NEWARK -- An owner of a driving school in Harrison pleaded guilty today to conspiring with employees of the Division of Motor Vehicle Services to provide illegal aliens with driver's licenses, admitting that he received up to $2,000 per bogus license, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

Juvenal Galarza, a/k/a "Uncle Johnny,"65, of Belleville, admitted before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to participating in a scheme with multiple DMV employees to furnish illegal aliens with driver's licenses. Galarza, who owned a driving school in Harrison, admitted to making cash payments ranging from $100 to $300 to each DMV employee who assisted in generating a particular driver's license. Galarza confessed that from around January 1998 to around March 2003, he conspired to fraudulently transfer between 25 and 99 driver's licenses and received cash payments from $800 to $2,000 for each such license.

When he is sentenced by Judge Walls, Galarza faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. Howe. Judge Walls set sentencing for Dec. 22. Galarza is free on $50,000 bail pending sentencing.

Galarza is now the tenth individual since January to plead guilty in connection with the driver's license fraud scheme, in which employees of the state agency and non-employees received hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce and procure licenses for individuals who were not entitled to such licenses. Galarza has been cooperating with the authorities in the investigation of others.

Others pleading guilty so far are:

• Tonya Horn, 33, formerly of Scotch Plains and now of Easton, Pa., a service representative of the Springfield DMV office, admitted that she processed driver permits and licenses without ever having spoken with the respective applicants; she received between $100 and $150 for each of more than 100 fraudulent licenses.

• Marcella Lewis, 36, of Plainfield, an examination technician at the DMV office in Elizabeth, admitted to permitting certain individuals to take multiple written examinations for driver's licenses for other individuals, and receiving $150 for each of more than 100 fraudulent licenses.

• Sheilina D. Moore, 28, of Clementon, a customer service representative at the DMV Mount Holly office, admitted receiving between $100 and $200 for each of more than 100 bogus licenses she helped produce.

• Linda Carlo, 41, of Newark, a customer service representative at the DMV Springfield office, admitted receiving $100 for each of more than 100 bogus licenses she helped produce.

• Anita Feathers, 53, of Sloatzburg, NY, also a customer service representative at the DMV Springfield office, admitted receiving $100 for each bogus license she helped produce.

• Barbara Carter, 52, of Roselle Park, a customer service representative at DMV Plus, a private agency in Springfield, admitted receiving $500 for each bogus license and DMV identification card she conspired to produce with DMV employees at the Springfield office.

• Rita Peterson, 40, of Newark, a customer service representative at the DMV Springfield office, admitted receiving $100 for each bogus license she helped produce.

• Lori Awan, 39, of North Plainfield, a customer service representative at the DMV Springfield office, admitted receiving $100 for each fraudulent license she helped generate.

• Linda M. Love, 44, of Willingboro, an examination technician at the DMV office in Mount Holly, admitted to having fraudulently generated approximately 750 driver's licenses and receiving approximately $300 for each bogus license she helped produce.

Under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Judge Walls will determine Galarza's actual sentence based on a formula that takes into account the severity and characteristics of the offense and Galarza's criminal history, if any. Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Under Sentencing Guidelines, defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

Christie credited Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Joseph Billy, Jr., for their work in developing the case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. Howe of the U.S. Attorney's Special Prosecutions Unit in Newark.

Defense Attorney: Joseph E. Govlick, Esq. East Orange, NJ