A Texas official has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly conspiring to provide driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
A federal grand jury has issued a six-count indictment against 53-year-old Jose A. Ytuarte, a former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) employee in Hondo, Texas, and 44-year-old Azeez Mistry of San Antonio, Texas.
According to the indictments, the two conspired from May 2013 to July 2015 to transfer drivers licenses knowing the identification was produced without lawful authority.
The charges include: one count for conspiracy to transfer false identification documents, one count of transfer of false identification documents, and four counts of use of an interstate communication facility in aid of unlawful activity.
The indictment charges Mistry brought undocumented and documented aliens who could not get a driver’s license legally to Ytuarte. Mistry allegedly charged these individuals $1,000 to $5,000 for each license and paid Ytuarte a portion of that fee to bribe him. Ytuarte is accused of using the DPS computer system to put materially false information into the system (that the applicants were born in the United States) in order that a driver’s license could be issued to the illegal aliens. The defendants allegedly conducted the activity over the lunch hours when other DPS employees were not present.
Federal officials in San Antonio, Texas, arrested these two men and according to court documents both defendants are out on a $25,000 bond.
Ytuarte’s arraignment is set for November 3rd. Mistry and his attorney signed a form wherein Mistry waived personal appearance at arraignment and he has directed that a plea of not guilty be entered for him. A federal public defender has been appointed for Ytuarte.
The pair face fifteen years in federal prison if convicted. The charges against the defendants are felonies.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and an associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter@LanaShadwick2