by khou.com staff
kvue.com
Posted on September 1, 2010 at 10:05 AM
HOUSTON – Two Department of Public Safety employees, and an alleged middle man, accused of selling Texas driver’s licenses to unqualified people have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno said.
DPS Trooper Mark DeArza, 39, Lidia Gutierrez, 37, a DPS clerk, and Maen Bittar, 46, the alleged middle man of the scheme and manager of a gasoline station located on Almeda-Geneo, were arrested and released on $50,000 bond pending trial. DeArza and Bittar reside in Houston. Gutierrez resides in Galena Park, Texas.
According to allegations in the indictment, between March through Aug. 25, Bittar collected fees from individuals, including undocumented immigrants, in the amount of $3000 or more for assistance in obtaining Texas driver’s licenses.
Bittar would direct the individual to the DPS Office located across from Ellington Field on old Galveston Road near Clear Lake and at the DPS office, DeArza and Gutierrez would assist the unqualified individual with the processing of an application for a Texas driver’s license, according to the indictment.
Conspiracy to commit fraud relating to identification documents carries a maximum term of prison of 15 years and a $250,0000 fine.
Raleigh, N.C. — A Raleigh woman was being held under a $5 million bond Sunday while she faces nearly 30 charges in connection with an alleged identity theft scheme.
Arrest warrants state that Heather Lynn Holley, 39, whose last known address was Langley Circle, opened up bank accounts and credit cards and cashed checks using other people's identities. In one case, the identity of a 2-year-old child was stolen.
Holley does not live at Langley Circle any longer, according to her former landlord.
Wake County investigators claimed in the warrants that Holley broke into several homes to obtain birth certificates, passports, Social Security numbers, vehicle registration cards and other identifying documents. Also stolen were an external hard drive, jewelry clothing and antique furniture, according to the warrants.
In one case, the warrants state, Holley used someone else's health insurance card to obtain medical treatment and, in another, tried to cash a forged $34,000 check.
Holley was charged with:
· nine counts of identity theft
· three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses
· two counts each of breaking-and-entering, larceny after breaking-and-entering, possession of stolen property, uttering a forged instrument and larceny of chose in action
· one count each of second-degree burglary, forgery of instrument, possession of burglary tools, forger of endorsement and accessing computers
Her first court date was set for Tuesday. The case was investigated by the Wake County Sheriff's Office.
