Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 05/20/2008

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards - 565-3099

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

JURY RETURNS GUILTY VERDICTS IN DMV SCAM THAT TARGETED UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS

Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced today that a Sonoma County jury found Defendants Teofilo Arechiga Palomera, 61, and Aida Pulido, 48, guilty of four counts of attempting to assist others in obtaining DMV documents to which they were not entitled by virtue of their lack of legal status in the United States.  They also found the two defendants guilty of conspiracy to assist others in fraudulently obtaining DMV documents.

District Attorney Passalacqua said, “Once again, a Sonoma County jury has said we will not tolerate the victimization of undocumented persons.  We will continue to prosecute those who target vulnerable members of the community for crime.”

In August of 2004, Santa Rosa resident Aida Pulido worked at the Santa Rosa DMV field office as a Motor Vehicle Field Representative processing California Driver’s license applications, identification applications and vehicle registrations.  The jurors found that Ms. Pulido entered into an agreement with Mr. Palomera, of Pittsburg, California, wherein Mr. Palomera would find Hispanic individuals without legal residency in the United States and promise them a valid California Driver’s License or Identification Card in exchange for approximately $1500 to $2500 in cash.  A majority of these individuals lived outside of Sonoma County.  Mr. Palomera directed them to go to the Santa Rosa DMV office and contact Aida Pulido, the spanish speaking employee at window #18.  Four separate individuals testified at trial that they went to Ms. Pulido’s window and provided no proof of legally residency, yet records showed that, as to each person, Ms. Pulido entered the code in the system indicating they had shown her a U.S. birth certificate.  A third person, Ubaldo Morales, was implicated in this conspiracy.  Mr. Morales, 39, of Bay Point, California, failed to appear at one of his court appearances and there is a warrant out for his arrest. 

Defendants Pulido and Palomera face up to 3 years in state prison as a result of their convictions.  They will be sentenced before the Honorable Rene Chouteau in Department 4 on July 14, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.

DMV Internal Affairs Investigator Jared Ueda conducted the investigation. Deputy District Attorney Jane Murray handled the prosecution of the case.  District Attorney Investigator Les Vanderpool and Legal Assistant Patti Davis assisted in the prosecution.