Moultrie Observer

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May 2, 2009

Moultrians among 9 charged in ID scam

Angie Thompson, The Tifton Gazette

TIFTON — Nine people, including one woman from Tifton and another two from Moultrie, were arrested by investigators recently as they exited the Georgia Department of Driver Services in Cordele.

According to a press release from the DDS, those arrested allegedly attempted to acquire Georgia identification cards for undocumented aliens in the area of Crisp and Tift counties.

Arrested were Melisa D. Holweger, 25, of Tifton; Peggy Sue Duckworth, 60, and her daughter, Rita Charline Rodriguez, 31, both of Moultrie; and Froilan Garcia-Juarez, 38, Jenner Estuardo Garcia-Garcia, 25, Erica Ablizar Perez-Villegas, 27, Hugo Juarez-Niz, 22, Parfecto Delfino, 20, and Portino Perez, 39, all of Delaware.

According to an investigator who wished not to be identified, a tip led to the investigation of the “ring” that was attempting to use stolen identities and false documents to obtain Georgia identifications from the DDS’ Cordele- Crisp County licensing customer service center.

It was determined through interviews that four suspects were transported from Delaware to Georgia to meet people who would help them obtain the identification cards. When the suspects arrived in the Tift County area, according to the press release, they were supplied with counterfeit employment verification letters to satisfy Georgia residency requirements. They were also said to have in their possession genuine Texas birth certificates and Social Security cards.

Agents of a multi-agency task force from the DDS, the GBI and the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the investigation.

DDS Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier stated in the press release that he “applauded the action of the investigators and members of the Georgia SecureID Task Force.”

“DDS is committed to combating driver license fraud and identity theft,” Dozier stated. “This is a perfect example of how this task force combats illegal immigration and identity theft and supports homeland security.”

Georgia SecureID was created by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2006 to crack down on the use of fraudulent documents to obtain state identification cards and driver’s licenses.

For more information, DDS suggests visiting the Web site at www.dds.ga.gov.

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