Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to slap a 16-month prison sentence on a man who was part of a massive document fraud ring that helped illegal immigrants obtain driver’s permits — and took the tests for them to qualify.
The Massachusetts-based operation applied for more than 1,000 people and got licenses for more than 600 who lived in states where the local law prevented them from being able to get one.
They offered a one-stop shop, providing fake bills, driver’s education certificates and fraudulent foreign passports to establish an illegal immigrant’s qualifications, then using photos of the migrant and deceptive camera tricks to fool motor vehicle bureaus into thinking the migrants were taking the online tests.
They typically charged more than $1,000 for each license, prosecutors said in asking for the high sentence for Gabriel Nascimenta DeAndrade.
“A substantial period of incarceration is necessary here,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea told the judge in a memorandum asking for the 16-month sentence, along with three more years of supervised release.
DeAndrade pled guilty last month and is scheduled to go before a judge Thursday for sentencing.
He is the third person to be sentenced in the case.
Helbert Costa Generoso was slapped with a 9-month term and Cesar Agusto Martin Reis was sentenced to time served, which worked out to 290 days.
The scammers were part of a broader nationwide problem of document mills churning out bogus licenses, immigration passes and other IDs that can be used to help illegal immigrants live and work here. Sometimes the licenses are even used to help illegal immigrants win work as ride-share drivers.
DeAndrade’s lawyer asked the court to give him a sentence of time served, or 449 days. That includes 317 days in custody in Peru, where he was detained after fleeing the U.S. to avoid the case against him.
Syrie Fried, the lawyer, also said the judge should take into account just how terrible those conditions were in Peru, with overcrowded cells, no bunk to sleep on and poor food. The water was also filthy, forcing DeAndrade to forsake it in lieu of canned sodas. He figured he shed 30 pounds in Peruvian custody.
Two others involved with the scam have already been sentenced. Helbert Costa Generoso got 9 months behind bars and Cesar Agusto Martin Reis Defendant was sentenced to time served, or 290 days.
Two others also face charges: Edvan Fernando Alves DeAndrade and Leonel Texeiera De Souza Junior. Court documents suggest they have not yet been arrested.
Authorities appear to have learned of the operation from a police stop of the vehicle Reis was driving in 2024. A Massachusetts state trooper found a shoe box with 50 newly issued New York driver’s licenses and learner’s permits, which Reis was apparently delivering.
Lawyers for the convicted men said they deserved leniency because their scam was aimed at helping illegal immigrants get licenses to support themselves. The lawyers said there is no evidence the fake documents were used to further more serious crimes, such as terrorism or financial fraud.
Authorities said the scammers focused on New York licenses from 2019 to 2023, because that state allowed illegal immigrants to obtain permits. Most of their customers were from Massachusetts.
New York required online permit test-takers to be observed by a web camera. The fraudsters had migrants take multiple photos of themselves sitting down, which were then used to fool the test into thinking the migrants were sitting for the exam when in fact it was the scammers at the keyboard.
Massachusetts changed its law to allow illegal immigrants to obtain licenses in 2023, so the scammers then started offering those permits to those who lived in states where it is still illegal.
Nineteen states issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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