March 12, 13

NEWS / NJ man sentenced to four years in prison for brokering illegal driver’s license sales

A man from the New Jersey town of East Rutherford has been sentenced to four years in prison and will have to pay $7,500 in restitution for his role in an illegal driver’s license sale scheme. Peter Loveras, 34, was responsible for connecting former New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) agents with buyers who were unable to provide sufficient identification to legally obtain a driver’s license.

“We must close the door on illegal drivers, identity thieves and even terrorists who can use such licenses to commit crimes,” New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said in a press release.

Loveras pleaded guilty to bribery in December. He was among the 40 defendants charged with conspiracies to illegally sell driver’s licenses out of East Orange (Essex Count), Edison (Middlesex County), North Bergen (Hudson County) and Lodi (Bergen County) motor vehicle agencies. The customers, many of whom included illegal immigrants, paid $2,500 to $7,000 for a license or license renewal, and the former clerks and brokers split the proceeds, local newspaper The Record reports.

Two former MVC clerks and one customer were sentenced in connection with the scheme last September.

New Jersey instituted the six-point identity verification system in wake of the September 11th attacks more than 11 years ago.