Former Texas D.P.S. Employee Charged by Federal Indictment for Illegal Drivers License Scheme

In San Antonio today, federal and state authorities arrested 47-year-old Linda A. Perez for her alleged role in a an illegal driver’s license scheme announced United States Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven C. McCraw and Acting Special Agent in Charge Aristides “Harry” Jimenez, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio.

Perez is charged by federal grand jury indictment, returned yesterday, with one count of transfer of a false identification document and four counts of use of an interstate wire facility in aid of unlawful activity.

According to the indictment, from November 2014 until May 2015, the former DPS Driver’s License Division Customer Service Representative in San Antonio received bribes to process Texas driver’s licenses for undocumented aliens.  The bribes she allegedly accepted amounted to between $1,000 and $2,000 for each fraudulent license.  The indictment further alleges that Perez would input materially fraudulent information into the Texas DPS computer system in order to process and issue, by U.S. Mail, the driver’s license to the undocumented alien.

Perez had her initial appearance in federal court this afternoon.  She was released on a $30,000 bond.  No trial date has been scheduled.  Upon conviction, Perez faces up to 15 years in federal prison on the transfer count and up to five years in federal prison on each of the remaining counts.

This investigation was conducted by the Texas Rangers along with HSI special agents.  Assistant United States Attorney Tom Moore is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt.  The defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.