Sixteen people in Charleston who are illegally living in the U.S. have been indicted for attempting to obtain phony driver’s licenses.
According to U.S. Justice Department indictments, a total of 30 defendants traveled to New Mexico from South Carolina and surrounding areas to apply for a New Mexico driver’s license. New Mexico does not require citizens to show proof of U.S. citizenship to obtain a license, unlike South Carolina.
The indictments also say the defendants provided false information to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division. They used bogus utility bills and similar items in an attempt to prove their residency in that state. U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said the defendants would then return to South Carolina and wait for co-defendants living in New Mexico to mail them their new driver’s licenses.
Also indicted were five New Mexico residents, two Tennessee residents, one Georgia resident, three Virginia residents and one North Carolina resident. Two other people were listed as having unknown addresses.
Those charged from South Carolina were 29-year-old Jesus Ortiz, 32-year-old Darco Jordan-Tapia, 54-year-old Alma Ortiz-Calzada, 23-year-old Marisol Pantoja-Loredo, 29-year-old Concepcion Prieto-Juarez, 20-year-old Alejandra Torricos-Cuellar, 41-year-old Gustavo Torricos-Vargas and 31-year-old Juan Pablo Valladares-Martinez of Charleston. 32-year-old Jorge Alvarez-Chavez, 22-year-old Luis Alvarez-Robles, and 42-year-old Gabriel Sotelo of North Charleston; 23-year-old Marcos Medina-Zavaleta of Hanahan; 30-year-old Jose Alvarez-Robles of Ladson; 35-year-old Horacio Jasso-Hernandez and 32-year-old Fabian Sanchez-Hernandez of Mount Pleasant; and 36-year-old Salvador Hernandez-Santillan of Summerville.
