July 25, 2002
A former employee of the Fair Oaks office of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles was placed on probation and given a fine last week for producing false ID documents. He is Edward Willey Shelton, 43, of 2902 Seay St. in Alexandria.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia, between Oct. 1, 1999 and October 2000, "Shelton accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribe payments to assist hundreds of unqualified, illegal aliens from New York and elsewhere obtain Virginia driver's licenses and instructional permits."
Three other co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to charges of either transporting or harboring illegal aliens. The case against Shelton grew out of an investigation of the other DMV employees.
Eventually, officials realized Shelton's wrongdoing, as well. He had passed the unqualified applicants on the mandatory vision and written tests without the tests being given. And he allowed many of them to avoid taking the required driving test, altogether.
Special Agent Vincent Doherty of the Virginia State Police presented details of Shelton's actions in a Nov. 26 affidavit for a search warrant for his bank account in the Main Street branch of the Bank of America in the City of Fairfax. He wanted to see bank documents, monthly checking-account statements and copies of all deposits and checks written for Shelton's account there.
ACCORDING TO Doherty, Shelton worked in the customer service center of the DMV's office in the Fair Oaks Mall. And once authorities discovered that he was "selling DMV learner's permits to individuals who did not take the necessary examination or provide the necessary identity documentation," DMV investigators contacted Shelton, Oct. 3, at his home.
That day, wrote Doherty, Shelton admitted what he'd done. "He indicated he did not spend any money on himself, but gave the money to individuals in need," wrote the special agent. "Mr. Shelton advised [that] he received approximately $10,000 for issuing the Department of Motor Vehicles learner's permits. He stated he gave money to his sister and his nieces."
Shelton was charged, March 5, with a criminal complaint. On May 1, before Judge James C. Cacheris in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, he pleaded guilty to producing false identification documents. He returned Friday for sentencing and was given two years supervised probation and a $100 special assessment.