Prosecutor alleges a ‘corrosively corrupt’ fake license scheme
Donna Thornton, Editor
Weeks before local law enforcement and Homeland Security went to an Albertville restaurant with a federal warrant for the arrest of a Chinese national, the crimes he’s accused of made headlines in New York.
Xu Chu Zeng, 41, is awaiting extradition to New York, where he’s been charged with fraud in connection with a crime ring accused of falsifying driver’s licenses.
Early this month, the Richmond County (New York) district attorney’s office announced a 139-count indictment against 14 people accused of falsifying records, theft, identity theft and/or impersonating another person to take a driver’s license test.
The multijurisdictional investigation was dubbed “Operation Road Test” and it uncovered a scheme that allowed untested drivers to get licenses.
Three of the people indicted were employees at the Department of Motor Vehicles, who allegedly took money to facilitate the falsified licenses. Others operated a driving school in Queens.
“Today, we announce the arrests of several individuals involved in a deeply troubling, far-reaching, and corrosively corrupt scheme that struck at the very core of public trust and public safety,” District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said in a news release July 1.
“The consequences of these actions are grave. Countless individuals are now driving on our roads without ever having demonstrated the basic skills necessary to do so safely.
“Let me be clear, this was not a victimless crime. This has created a public safety crisis, putting innocent lives at risk each day. Moreover, every fraudulently obtained license represents not only a danger on the roads, but also a potential threat to homeland security, as a state-issued ID can be used to access buildings, board planes, and commit a host of other potential illicit acts.”
State Inspector General Lucy Lang said, “The state employees indicted here sold out not just the safety of their fellow New Yorkers, but they sold out their oaths of office.”
According to prosecutors, T&E Driving School in Queens targeted the Chinese community, guaranteeing driver’s licenses for its students regardless of their immigration status, their language proficiency, or their ability to drive a vehicle.
Prosecutors said students paid $1,600 to $2,000 and an imposter would take the tests required to obtain driver’s licenses for them. An undetermined number of people got driver’s licenses; some of them were undocumented immigrants.
On July 18, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force and Albertville police went to Chow King restaurant in Albertville with a federal warrant for Zeng, according to Marshall County Sheriff Phil Sims.
While there, task force officers detained six other employees — three Guatemalans and three Mexican nationals suspected of immigration violations.
The six are being held for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Etowah County Detention Center.
Zeng was booked into the Marshall County Jail, where he’s being held for New York authorities. Sheriff’s Capt. Willie Orr said Zeng remained in jail in Marshall County, but waivers of extradition have been signed.
