A federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday charging five individuals for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently apply for more than 1,000 driver’s licenses in Massachusetts and New York to give to illegal aliens.
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The five defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents, two counts of possession with intent to use or transfer unlawfully identification documents and one count of furnishing a false passport to another for use.
Three of the defendants, Gabriel Nascimento De Andrade, 26 of Boston; Cesar Agusto Martin Reis, 28, of Waterbury, Conn.; and Helbert Costa Generoso, 39, of Danbury, Conn., were arrested, and appeared in federal court in Worcester, Mass. for an initial appearance.
Two of the defendants, Edvan Fernandes Alves De Andrade, 34, formerly of Worcester, Mass., and Leonel Texeiera De Souza Junior, 38, formerly of Milford, Mass., are both currently in Brazil, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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The 23-page indictment details the alleged conspiracy, which prosecutors say operated from about November 2020 through September 2024, and involved the five defendants fraudulently procuring driver’s licenses for illegal aliens who lived in states that prohibit “undocumented individuals” from obtaining licenses.
It is alleged in the 23-page indictment that from November 2020 to September 2024, the group fraudulently applied for driver’s licenses for more than 1,000 customers, collecting fees of approximately $1,400 per license.
They purportedly helped Massachusetts residents acquire New York licenses before July 2023 — when it became legal for undocumented individuals to obtain Massachusetts licenses — and later obtained fraudulent Massachusetts licenses for ineligible customers who lived outside of Massachusetts.
Illegal aliens residing in New York became eligible to obtain New York driver’s licenses beginning in 2019.
The defendants allegedly manipulated permit tests, forged driver’s education documents, and provided fake residency records to state motor vehicle departments.
Customers were even allegedly transported by the five defendants to DMV locations in New York where fraudulent documents were used to secure permits and licenses.
Prosecutors say that in total, the five defendants allegedly helped more than 1,000 ineligible applicants — primarily illegal aliens — apply for driver’s licenses, and collected at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from the scheme.
Each count of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess with intent to transfer identification documents, possession with intent to use or transfer unlawfully identification documents, carry up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charge of furnishing a false passport to another for use carries up to up to 10 years in prison, supervised release of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said Wednesday that the investigation into the alleged conspiracy remains ongoing.
The full indictment can be read below:
