Bergen County authorities conducted an investigation of driver license fraud which resulted in charges against six individuals. In 2012, the Motor Vehicle Commission and Division of Criminal Justice co-managed an anti-fraud initiative using cutting edge facial scrub software to determine if the same individuals are maintaining more than one record in the motor vehicle database.
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission database has approximately 19 million images that produced over 950,000 leads. After three levels of review to identify suspected criminal fraud, representatives from the Division of Criminal Justice meet weekly to review cases of suspected criminal fraud. These cases are prepared for investigation, arrest and prosecution by law enforcement including the Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey State Police and all 21 County Prosecutors’ Offices. The investigation determined that the defendants had suspended New Jersey driving privileges and obtained New Jersey driver’s licenses in other parties names using fraudulently obtained documents. All the defendants charged with use of personal identifying information of another are:
Graciela Bernardy-Moldonado, 33, of Paterson; Raymond Rodriguez, 40, of Passaic
Frank Fransese, also 40, of Cedar Grove
Randy Perdon, 57, of Hackensack Franky Gonzalez, 40, of Bogota Alejandro Estrada, 37, of Leonia
In addition, the defendants will be subject to an administrative suspension of driving privileges up to two years.
All defendants were released on their own recognizance, expect for Raymond Rodriguez. Bail was set by the Honorable Louis J. Dinice, J.M.C. Frank Fransese is a fugitive and his whereabouts are currently unknown.