Five Louisville residents face federal fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly running a scheme that illegally issued driver's licenses to non-U.S. citizens who bypassed testing requirements, according to a federal indi ctment returned February 4.U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky announced the charges against 32-year-old Donnita Wilson; 27-year-old Aariel Matthews; 32-year-old Raul Tellez Ojeda; 37-year-old Lazaro Alejandro Castello Rojas; and 41-year-old Robert Danger Correa.The defendants, according to a release, face 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of mail fraud conspiracy, 14 counts of honest services mail fraud, one count of honest services mail fraud conspiracy, 14 counts of unlawful production of identification documents, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.The indictment alleges the defendants solicited illegal fees between $200 and $1,500 from legally present, non-U.S. citizens applying for driver's licenses. In exchange, the defendants promised to expedite the process without requiring applicants to undergo testing requirements, the release reported.Certain conspirators allegedly altered information in government databases to bypass important steps in the application process and issue invalid licenses to non-U.S. citizens, according to the indictment. The scheme was perpetrated for financial gain and betrayed the trust placed in them by Kentucky's Transportation Cabinet, prosecutors allege."This indictment represents the culmination of an investigation into a scheme by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet employees and others to illegally circumvent Kentucky's process for issuing driver's licenses, thereby issuing invalid licenses to lawfully present, non-U.S. citizens who had not first demonstrated their qualifications to drive on our roads," Bumgarner said."Proper vetting of individuals seeking a driver's license is a prerequisite to ensuring the safety of Kentucky's roadways and ensuring the legitimacy of state-issued identification. As alleged in the indictment, this fraudulent scheme involved kickbacks and bribes leading to numerous legally present, non-U.S. citizens obtaining unlawfully issued drivers licenses," Bumgarner said.Several defendants were arraigned February 9 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count of mail fraud, mail fraud conspiracy, honest services mail fraud, and money laundering. They face a maximum sentence of 15 years for each count of unlawful production of identification documents. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, according to the report. ...read more read less