57°
Several are Korean nationals, three of whom were turned over to Homeland Security.
All are due for appearances in Central Municipal Court on Monday to answer charges of tampering with and falsifying public records, CLIFFVIEW PILOT has learned.
Most have posted bail or been released on their own recognizance. The rest are expected to remain in the Bergen County Jail over the weekend.
The ringleader, former Fort Lee resident Young-Kyu Park, already was in custody, along with several other prominent players, when state authorities launched their end of the massive multi-agency investigation before dawn today in several New Jersey counties.
It was dubbed “Operation Robin Hood.”
Park, who now lives in Los Angeles, employed people who recruited and served customers in Palisades Park and Fort Lee, many of whom were rounded up in the second wave, authorities said.
During two days of sweeps, the NJSP arrested 93 people accused of buying bogus documents from Park and his crew.
“The cooperative investigation that involved the New Jersey State Police Auto Unit, United States Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission led to the identification of 136 targets that obtained driver’s licenses using these illegal documents,” State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said.
Criminal complaints were authorized by Bergen County Superior Court Judge Roma.
CLIFFVIEW PILOT Staff Writer Mary K. Miraglia contributed to this article.
“The valid New Jersey Driver’s Licenses that were obtained using fraudulent documents could undoubtedly be used to commit crimes and additional acts of fraud,” Fuentes said. “Continued vigilance and collaborative law enforcement efforts are instrumental in ensuring that this type of crime is investigated and prosecuted.”
“This investigation reaffirms the value of a driver’s license as a breeder document and the need for the MVC to maintain the security and integrity of its operations,” said Motor Vehicle Commission Chairman and Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez. “Complacency is not an option, which is why we continue to invest in technology, training and internal controls that help us to identify and crack down on criminal activity.”
State Police said they were still looking for 43 people named in arrest warrants.
Many benefitted from sophisticated software that converted blank immigration documents stolen from a federal government office in California into hundreds of driver’s licenses and student visas.
The bogus IDs, in turn, allowed some to “commit financial frauds, walk away from legal obligations, and [make their crimes] more difficult for law enforcement to identify and investigate,”
said Michael Ward, the special agent in charge of Newark’s FBI Field Office.In some cases, the operators of the illegal enterprise escorted “customers” to various state motor vehicle agencies and coaching them through the process of obtaining the licenses. In return, they were paid from $3,000 to $4,500, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
By “shepherding illegal aliens through the application process and providing them with counterfeit documentation, the defendants enabled their customers to gain access to all the credibility that a driver’s license affords,” Fishman said. “Strong immigration enforcement includes guarding against those who subvert the safeguards designed to keep us secure.”
The U.S. Attorney said Young-Kyu Park created and completed legitimate-appearing I-797 forms, which are used by the federal government – including USCIS, a division of the Department of Homeland Security – to communicate with others or convey an immigration benefit.
Motor vehicle agencies use the forms to verify passports, as well as a holder’s lawful presence in the U.S. They can even be used to obtain college tuition grants and loans.
Park is accused of obtaining the blank I-797 forms from Karine Michmichian and Martin Trejo, a USCIS contract employee working at the USCIS’ Western Forms Center in Montclair, Calif. – the United States’ largest warehouse storage facility for these forms.
The ringleaders also altered and counterfeited other immigration documents, including passports, while providing other bogus materials – including utility bills and banks statements – to fulfill residency requirements.
Yesterday, 17 people were arrested and five sought in New Jersey, New York, California, Nevada, Virginia and Georgia in connection with as many as 700 illegal transactions, the FBI said.
The bust was made possible by another high-profile case brought to federal authorities by Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli.
One of the defendants in that investigation was arrested in Fort Lee while driving a vehicle registered to his wife. Police found several counterfeit IDs in various people’s names, some of which were used to open bogus bank accounts.
This led them to a Bergen County-based “crime superstore” that involved dozens of people who stole identities from their counterparts in Asia to get credit cards and bank loans that were used to buy fancy cars, fine whiskey and designer shoes.
Dozens have pleaded guilty in that case and have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing in federal court. Few have gone to trial.
One of those arrested became a federal informant in yesterday and today’s case. Authorities said he infiltrated the organization, got close to Park, and secretly recorded conversations between him and co-conspirators.The New Jersey State Police this afternoon provided a list of agency partners:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Homeland Security
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Attorney District of NJ
New Jersey Department of Corrections
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office
Bergen County Sheriff’s Department
Essex County Prosecutor’s Office
Bloomfield Police Department
Clifton Police Department
Eatontown Police Department
Fort Lee Police Department
Palisades Park Police Department
Among those arrested by NJSP and processed in Bergen County yesterday and today:
Seung L. Jang, 47
Sang I. Moon, 50
Kyoo S. Chae, 62
Jae S. Kim, 47
Kab C. Lee, 53
Se K. Lee, 48
Jooyun You, 25
Su Yeon Won, 48
Oug Sig Jeong, 46
Hyun J. Kim (turns 36 tomorrow)
Kyung S. Oh, 37
Jae Suk Cho, 49
Hee Young Park, 51
Inok Han-Park, 50
Mi Sook Yoo, 50
Mi S. Choi, 55
Yeong J. Park, 55
Mangia Yang, 49
Zoo S. Lee, 22
Taek S. Jang, 38
Kwang Sik Kim, 57
Seong Ryul Park, 40
Kyu S. Hwang, 49
Ha N. Park, 23
Joung H. Kim, 58
Hyun K. Choi, 58
Soo Y. Jung, 51
Maenghun Song, 32
Seung L. Jang, 57
Moo S. Lee, 24
Sam Gyeong Kang, 45
Sung H. Wang, 50
ALSO SEE:
FBI cracks illegal driver’s license ring with arrests in NJ, five other states
Wednesday, 27 June 2012 12:53 Jerry DeMarcoCharges against 22 people were unsealed today and federal agents made 17 arrests in New Jersey and five other states in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain driver’s licenses for illegal aliens and other ineligible people.
Some of those charged live in eastern Bergen County — Cliffside Park, Palisades Park, Fort Lee and Ridgefield — and in Tenafly.
The defendants also include a contract employee of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) who is charged with stealing and providing forms used to aid in the scheme.
{loadposition log}
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paterson and receive free news updates.
