Edison DMV Clerk Received Thousands for Sale of Illegal Driver's Licenses

A former clerk at the Edison Motor Vehicle Agency was sentenced to state prison Friday, along with a broker who conspired with her in under-the-counter sales of New Jersey digital driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, according to a statement from the New Jersey Attorney General's office.

The clerk and brokers profited by $2,500 to as much as $7,000, the amount that undocumented immigrants were willing to pay for the fake licenses and renewals, officials said.

Lorena J. Escobar, 32, of Bound Brook, was sentenced today to three years in prison by Superior Court Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz in Morris County.  A former clerk at the Edison Motor Vehicle Agency, Escobar pleaded guilty on March 24, 2010 to second-degree conspiracy.

Escobar, who was cooperating with authorities in the investigation, admitted that she conspired with brokers, including Martha Jalil who was also sentenced Friday, to obtain cash from customers in return for providing them with renewed New Jersey digital driver’s licenses.  The customers, authorities said, were in the country illegally.  

Jalil, 55, of Dover, was sentenced to five years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Salem Vincent Ahto in Morris County for her part in the scheme.  Jalil pleaded guilty on Feb. 23 to second-degree conspiracy. 

“With illegal driver’s licenses selling for several thousand dollars apiece, there is a significant incentive for criminals to engage in this type of document fraud,” said Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa. “By putting defendants like these women behind bars, we present a powerful disincentive.”

Two men who were part of the scheme were sentenced last month by Judge Ahto.  Gustavo Valencia, 70, of Morris, another broker, was sentenced on March 21 to six years in prison, including two years of parole ineligibility. He was about to go on trial on Feb. 25, when he pleaded guilty to two indictments against him, including multiple counts of conspiracy, official misconduct, computer criminal activity, and tampering with public records or information.  He admitted that he brokered illegal sales of driver’s licenses out of both the Edison and the East Orange Motor Vehicle Agencies, pocketing thousands of dollars in return. 

Martha Jali's husband, Ricardo Jalil, 65, was also sentenced by Judge Ahto on March 21 to 300 days in jail and two years of probation.  Ricardo Jalil pleaded guilty on Feb. 19 to third-degree conspiracy to tamper with public records.  He admitted he conspired with his wife, Escobar and others to help renew licenses for people in the United States illegally.

An additional broker was sentenced last year. Manuel Puentes, 52, of Dover, was sentenced on Jan. 20, 2012, to three years in state prison.

The defendants charged in this case were among 40 people named in indictments unsealed on Dec. 5, 2011, which charged conspiracies to illegally sell driver’s licenses out of the Edison, East Orange, Jersey City, Lodi and North Bergen Motor Vehicle Agencies.  

“In partnership with the MVC, we are cracking down on illegal sales of driver’s licenses and eliminating the security breaches that lead to licenses being fraudulently issued,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Through MVC’s new Facial Scrub technology and aggressive investigations targeting license brokers and corrupt clerks, we are sending those responsible for license fraud to prison.”