Man Sentenced in Scheme to Sell Wisconsin Drivers' Licenses
Madison, Wis. - John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Sebastian Cortes Vieyra, 29, Madison, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William Conley to five months in jail for his role in producing and transferring a Wisconsin driver's license that was produced without lawful authority. Cortes Vieyra pleaded guilty to the charge on May 18, 2011.
Cortes Vieyra was one of six individuals originally charged in an indictment unsealed on February 10, 2011. He was part of a conspiracy to unlawfully produce and transfer Wisconsin drivers' licenses to individuals who could not obtain licenses by lawful means because they were in the United States illegally. The defendant and others sold the licenses to these individuals throughout the State of Wisconsin for as much as $2000 each. The licenses were produced by an employee of the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Khue Xiong. Xiong worked at the Stevens Point, Wis. branch of the DMV until July 22, 2010, when he was fired following an investigation during which he revealed that he had produced approximately 70 drivers' licenses for ineligible individuals in exchange for cash bribes.
The former DMV employee, Khue Xiong, 36, Stevens Point, pleaded guilty to accepting cash bribes on June 8, 2011. His sentencing is scheduled for August 30, 2011.
Eric Silva, 38, Stevens Point, pleaded guilty to paying cash bribes on May 31, 2011. His sentencing is set for August 19, 2011.
Ricardo Gonzales De Arcos, 26, Marshfield, Wis., was found guilty on June 21, 2011 of three charges related to his participation in the conspiracy, following a two-day jury trial in federal court. His sentencing is set for September 7, 2011.
Benito A. Saldana, 28, formerly of Jefferson, Wis., failed to appear for arraignment on March 10, 2011 and remains a fugitive. Rolando Lima, 36, formerly of Appleton, Wis., also remains a fugitive.
The charges against Cortes Vieyra are the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, with the assistance of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The prosecution of this matter is assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith P. Duchemin.
