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Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Local man sentenced on his prior guilty plea to paying bribes to DMV employee for drivers’ licenses

Washington, D.C. - A District of Columbia man, Richard Killett, has been sentenced on his prior guilty plea to paying bribes to a D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”) employee, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein, Joseph Persichini, Jr., Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, D.C. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Charles H. Ramsey announced today.

Killett, 35, of the unit block of Hawaii Avenue, NE, Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia before the Honorable Judge Rosemary M. Collyer. During the prior plea hearing, Killett admitted to making the bribe payments to a DMV employee in return for the DMV employee issuing drivers’ licenses to individuals who otherwise would have trouble obtaining them through the normal, legal process. Judge Collyer sentenced Killett to three years of probation, conditions of which included 180 days of home confinement and electronic monitoring.

According to the government’s evidence presented at the guilty plea, with which Killett agreed, in about late November of 2005, Killett met with a person he knew worked at the DMV. Killett discussed with the DMV employee the idea of bringing to the DMV employee individuals who otherwise would have difficulties obtaining DMV drivers’ licenses, or endorsements or upgrades to pre-existing licenses, and who, through, Killett, would pay money to the DMV employee in return for the issuance of drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades. Killett told the DMV employee that he needed a number of drivers’ licenses applications.

Thereafter, Killett told a number of individuals that he had a contact at DMV who could get them drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades for a payment of money beyond that for the normal fee for such items.

On Friday, December 16, 2005, Killett met with the DMV employee near the main DMV office at 301 C Street, NW. At that time, Killett gave the DMV employee $300 as a partial payment for the production of drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades for individuals Killett had solicited.

On Saturday, December 17, 2005, Killett met with approximately six to eight individuals he had solicited to obtain drivers’ licenses, or endorsements or upgrades to previously issued licenses. Per prior arrangement with Killett, these individuals met Killett outside the main DMV office and the individuals, with one exception -- an individual who agreed to give the money to Killett on a later occasion -- gave Killett $500 each for the purpose of obtaining the respective license, endorsement or upgrade. Killett planned to give $300 to $350 from each individual to the DMV employee and keep the remaining amount for his role in this scheme.

Killett and the individuals seeking drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades then entered the DMV office and the individuals provided their completed applications to the DMV employee. Killett provided the DMV employee with $3,000 from the money he had received or had been promised by the individuals seeking drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades, and he kept $700 for himself for his services The DMV employee then took the individuals’ photographs.

Fortunately, the arrival of law enforcement officials prevented these individuals that day from obtaining the drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades they sought. The law enforcement officials took a statement from Killett in which he admitted the above-described bribery scheme. Killett admitted that he knew some of the individuals for whom he acted as a middle-man and that he knew that they could not, or would not, obtain the drivers’ licenses, endorsements or upgrades in a lawful manner and they sought his assistance to circumvent the DMV procedures. For example, he was told that one of his “customers” could not obtain a driver’s license because she had failed the DMV test four times. Other individuals had indicated that they wanted licenses which indicated that they were authorized to operate motorcycles or commercial trucks.

The investigation into this scheme is ongoing.

In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Wainstein, Acting Assistant Director Persichini, Inspector General Willoughby, and Chief Ramsey praised the hard work of FBI Special Agents Albert E. Tenuta and Amanda S. Romek, Karen Meunier, Director of Investigations for the Inspector General’s Office, and MPD Detective Daniel Straub. They also praised the cooperation provided by DMV Director Anne Witt and her office throughout the investigation of this matter. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Legal Assistants Teesha Tobias and April Peeler, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Bowman and Daniel P. Butler, who prosecuted this matter.