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Friday, July 04, 2008 7:30 AM
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By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
ALBEMARLE — A Mount Pleasant woman is facing federal charges for issuing identification cards to illegal immigrants.
Authorities had been investigating Susan Honeycutt, 50, a license examiner at the Albermarle DMV, for about 18 months. She has been a license examiner since 1999.
Investigators say between January 2007 and June 2008 Honeycutt issued 150 fake North Carolina driver's licenses with nonexistent addresses.Investigators say Honeycutt and two men made the transactions happen by charging others up to $5,000 to come to North Carolina to process the licenses. In fact, none of the people who received the 150 licenses Honeycutt issued were legal.
According to documents filed in New York, from January 1, 2007, to around June 18, 2008, Vijendra Gangadeen and Richie Seupersad, made trips to North Carolina from New York.
All three are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, trafficking in false identification documents and aiding and abetting.
A special agent with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement submitted an affidavit June 26 to establish probable cause.The N.C. Department of Transportation and ICE officals were conducting a joint investigation. In the document, the agent provides details of recorded telephone conversations between Gangadeen and a confidential source.
On March 31, 2008, Gangadeen, who is an illegal alien, drove from Queens, N.Y., through the Bronx, N.Y., as part of his trip to North Carolina, a federal complaint said.
Based on the recorded conversations, investigators discovered Gangadeen had made at least 10 trips between May 2007 and January 2008 to North Carolina.
A surveillance video was taken June 18, 2008, at the Albermarle DMV office parking lot. The video shows Seupersad arriving in a car around 1 p.m. with two others, whom the document identifies as "customer-3" and "customer-4", to have driver's licenses made. Both customers, the affidavit said, were illegal aliens.
Seupersad was Gangadeen's North Carolina contact.In a statement from a N.C. DMV representative, investigators said each license examiner is issued a Resource Access Facility Indentification number (RAC ID) that is linked to each license an examiner issues.
Authorities found the RAC ID assigned to Honeycutt issued a fraudulent license to Gangadeen in April 2007. The ID had false information, including a nonexistent North Carolina address. A year later, Honeycutt issued Gangadeen a replacement North Carolina license and a driver's license to a "Customer-2," an illegal alien.Honeycutt was arrested June 27, Gangadeen and Seupersad, three days later.All have been released on bond — Honeycutt, $50,000 and both Seupersad and Gangadeen, $150,000.
The two men are restricted to only travel in parts of New York and New Jersey.Gangadeen is represented by New York attorney John J. Byrnes and Honeycutt is represented by Todd Smith, of Graham, while Seupersad's attorney is Andrew Patel, based in New York.
As officials continue to investigate, two other Albemarle DMV employees were placed on administrative leave.
Rowan County Sheriff's Capt. John Sifford, said the only similar fake ID scam they've encountered in Rowan in recent years was in early 2006 when an East Spencer couple were found with computers, digital cameras, laminators and other office supplies. It was suspected the man and woman, who were illegal, were making false ID's for other illegal immigrants.
Comments (14)
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false licenses : Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:53 AM
This woman used her job to commit crimes and make lots of money for herself. This I am sure is just a drop in the bucket to false papers and identification of all kinds. I kept getting calls from the satellite company with threats to cut off my service for nonpayment. Then they started the same messages and gave the name of the person they were trying to reach. I finally called the sat. co. and told them who I was and that there was a mistake that my phone number was either transposed or given by this person as their phone number. It took a while of being questioned as to whether these people lived here, but finally they said they would report it, and quit calling my house 3 and 4 times a day. Then I got the bill on my credit card the next month and they had charged my account for $300. They had used my phone number to cross check, found I had sat., used the charge card necessary to provide and charged this to me. It was a nightmare. they said they "reserved the right to charge for nonpayment" to my card. It did not matter if I had no idea who these people were, or ever had any contact with them, or that they made a mistake, which they said they had straightened out. I had to throw a major fit, and go through a lot, to get this off of my credit card. I told them if I knew these people, and my card had been authorized to sign them up, they had to have a record of my having allowed my card to sign up these illegals for service. That, with much argument, finally got my credit card cleared of $300. It goes on all the time, and this woman was just in the perfect position to join in on the fraud. Hate to shock you, but you may as well get used to the fact that 40 years from now the majority of this country will be hispanic, and this country is basically screwed. Can you imagine the amount of money that hour wages will be by then. Our children and grandchildren are going to have a standard of living that is so low it will hardly be recognizable. It won't be stopped. It is a fact, and this is the future of this country because of it, Mexico north.
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"Facts" for "To All Those who Speak" : Wednesday, August 20, 2008 7:32 PM
"Investigators say Honeycutt and two men made the transactions happen by charging others up to $5,000 to come to North Carolina to process the licenses." Looks like the authorities think she accepted compensation. Remember kids, reading is FUNdamental!
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To all who speak in ignorance without knowing the facts : Wednesday, August 20, 2008 9:00 AM
The media did not say that Ms. Honeycutt accepted compensation for issuing the licenses or id's. She was just doing the job, accepting what she thought was valid documents. She had no way of verifying addresses given. People are still crucifying inocent victims just like they did Jesus.
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J. Taylor
Real ID : Monday, July 07, 2008 7:30 AM
This is why we need Real ID in North Carolina. The Real ID reforms that went into effect July 1 require new safety measures to prevent just this sort of thing. nccivitas.org has more on this.
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Jimi
Corruption at the DMV : Saturday, July 05, 2008 6:29 PM
This is not an unusual case. This happens all over the country. It never happend 25 years ago. We have imported a culture of corruption and it's now infecting our own system.
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Bobby
The enablers of illegal immigration : Saturday, July 05, 2008 5:19 PM
"In fact, none of the people who received the 150 licenses Honeycutt issued were legal." NO KIDDING!! Aside from dishonest thieves like Ms Honeycutt, this is exactly the problem with illegal immigration. It gives the, shall we say, weaker characters among the American populace, too much temptation. Of course, Honeycutt should lose her already cushy and well paid, State job, to some honest American.
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June
Re: Mt. Pleasant woman... : Saturday, July 05, 2008 2:09 PM
It's bad enough to have to fight our government and the Mexicans, but now we have our own citizens to contend with. Hope the thirty pieces of silver were worth selling out her country and her soul.
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oregonrr
released on bail : Saturday, July 05, 2008 12:00 PM
Why are illegal aliens and those who have the immoral codes to issue false identification released on bail? What about all those to whom she issued liscenses? Is the country at risk as they go about with fake Identifications? She should also be accountable for the costs in locating and prosecuting her "clients."
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Shayla
: Saturday, July 05, 2008 8:48 AM
Scum like her give good officers a bad name. Throw the book at her and them! We need to do something about the illegal alien problem, not just here in the whole country. Wake up America, they aren't going anywhere!
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Voice from Texas
Voice from Texas : Saturday, July 05, 2008 6:32 AM
The gov't reports it will cost the victim of stolen id and average of $10,000 to fight the damage done to their life.. One of the biggest problems victims face is with the IRS cleaning up the back taxes the illegal never paid while they worked under the victims id.
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Pancho
Death : Friday, July 04, 2008 6:08 PM
Susan Honeycutt, Vijendra Gangadeen and Richie Seupersad should receive the death penalty.
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Women.....go figure : Friday, July 04, 2008 12:03 PM
This is a crime, and she should be treated as such. I don't know her, but she is probably an overweight caucassian female, these are usually the type that are attrated to Mexicans. If she wants to help them, move her to Mexico so she can help all of them....oh wait, they are all here now.
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Delaware Bob
Fake I.D. cards to illegal aliens : Friday, July 04, 2008 9:05 AM
Get a State Law like Arizona, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Mississippi and other States and these problems will go away. ILLEGAL ALIENS are the problem. Get rid of the ILLEGAL ALIENS and the problems will go with them.
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buster
illegal invaders : Friday, July 04, 2008 9:04 AM
I have no sympathy for those who aid/abett illegal aliens. These people blatantly ignore our laws and its time for them to go. Deport them and punish those who hire them. Eliminate the incentive for them to come here.
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