BMV employee accused of selling licenses

By CORLISS SMITHEN, Daily News Staff
Published: October 6, 2010

ST. THOMAS — Cameta Dowe sat stone-faced, staring intently at Cranston Stevenson as Stevenson told a 14-member jury that Dowe illegally sold him a driver’s license for $500.

Dowe, 39, of Anna’s Retreat is a former senior data entry clerk at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. She was arrested May 20 and charged with filing or recording forged instruments, fraudulent claims upon the government, embezzlement by fiduciaries and bribery and solicitation or receipt of bribes by public officers stemming from an incident Feb. 15, 2008.

More than two years later, Dowe went to trial on the charges before V.I. Superior Court Judge James Carroll III.

Assistant Attorney General Claude Walker, the lead prosecutor, spent Tuesday building his case, relying on the testimony of four witnesses — Motor Vehicles Bureau Assistant Director Myrna George; Motor Vehicles Bureau Director Jerris Browne; Manager of Information Systems at the Motor Vehicles Bureau Gregory Christian; and Stevenson.

“This case is not a soap opera,” Walker told the jury in his opening statements at the start of the trial. “You’ll hear all kinds of things. The case is simple. Bear in mind what happened at BMV, and don’t get sidetracked,” he said.

The prosecution ended its case Tuesday afternoon on the testimony of Stevenson, who told the court he originally is from Jamaica and has lived illegally in the Virgin Islands for the last 10 years.

Stevenson, a painter, said on Feb. 15, 2008, he obtained a valid Virgin Islands’ driver’s license from Dowe. He identified her in the courtroom.

“I saw her around St. Thomas. I heard of her selling licenses,” Stevenson testified. “I needed a license, so I made a phone call to her and told her I would like to have a license to drive, I want to find my way around. She said, ‘Come and meet me at the BMV. Come down to the BMV at about 4 o’clock.’ I met her on the 15th of February, 2008.”

Stevenson said once he got to the BMV, Dowe processed the application for a driver’s license and then handed him the document.

“She told me to sit and wait. I was waiting on her to get my application. She asked me, “Do you have a Social Security number?” I told her, ‘No, I don’t,’ and she said, ‘Okay,’ ” Stevenson told the court. “She took my name, my date of birth and my address. She was putting it in the computer system. She took my picture and told me to go and wait outside. I went outside; she came to the door and called me and told me to come for it. I collected the license from her and gave her $500. We had discussed how much money to give her on the phone.”

When Stevenson received the driver’s license, it indicated that his place of birth was St. Kitts, and that he had a Social Security number.

“Were you born in St. Kitts?” Walker asked.

“No,” Stevenson answered.

“Is that your Social Security number?” Walker questioned, pointing to the driver’s license.

“No,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson admitted that he has used the driver’s license to travel off-island.

In an effort to create doubt, defense attorney Julie Todman had Stevenson give jurors an insight into his background.

Stevenson, under cross-examination, said he is from Clarendon, Jamaica. While there, he worked as a prison officer, but he said he left the job because it was so rough, and people were getting killed.

“My friends were getting injured on the job, so I decided to leave,” he said.

Stevenson left his homeland by plane and landed on St. Maarten, where he worked as a security officer for Sheriff Security, he said.

He then left St. Maarten by boat, landed on St. John, then took another boat over to St. Thomas.

Todman then mentioned the name Delvin Duggins, a former Motor Vehicles Bureau supervisor, who recently was convicted and sentenced for fraud.

“I heard the name, but I don’t know the guy,” Stevenson said, then later admitting that he has seen Duggins around.

“Is your wife’s name Lydia Thomas, who has a sister named Cindy Monsanto, now Cindy Bartlette?” Todman asked.

“Yes,” Stevenson said.

“Is Cindy Delvin Duggins’ girlfriend?” Todman asked.

“That’s what I heard,” Stevenson replied.

“Objection, this is not a soap opera,” Walker exclaimed, but his objection was overruled.

George, who testified that she first learned of the matter with Stevenson through another situation with Duggins, explained the importance of the driver’s license and how it can be used as a travel document, outlining the steps an applicant would have to undergo to obtain the document.

“Once information is processed and put into the system, can it be modified?” Todman asked.

“I would be guessing because I’m not trained in the driver’s license system.” George said.

During George’s testimony, the court learned that all the data entry clerks at the St. Thomas office use one single code, that was assigned to Christian, to access the system.

“Did you have access to the driver’s license system?” Todman asked.

“Nope,” George answered. “I wasn’t comfortable with it. I thought that all employees needed to have their own codes, and I advocated for that,” she said.

Christian testified that he was asked to search the database for the names of persons who were issued licenses on Feb, 15, 2008, however, the name Cranston Stevenson did not appear on the list.

Browne said he learned of the issuance of the license to Stevenson from Duggins, and he submitted the information to the Attorney General’s office.

At the continuation of the trial today, the defense will begin mounting its case