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<\/p>\nThe license fraud scheme that was uncovered at the Department of Public Safety\u2019s Bureau of Motor Vehicles has severely damaged DPS\u2019 relationship with the public, but DPS Commissioner Clement Bermudes says the department is working hard to reclaim that trust.<\/p>\n
Bermudes said the conspiracy involving former director Juana Leon Guerrero and other BMV staff caused the public to lose trust in the department, but the department continues to work on building that trust back up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are rebuilding the trust with our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramon V. Manglona sentenced Leon Guerrero to five years imprisonment for her involvement in a scheme to provide undocumented individuals CNMI licenses\u2014for a fee.<\/p>\n
Bermudes said the root of this scheme was not properly cross-referencing people\u2019s immigration statuses to determine who are or are not supposed to have driver\u2019s licenses. With DPS chief Paul T. Ogumoro now serving as acting BMV director, Bermudes said there will no longer be any exemptions to this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have placed an acting director there since the former director left the department. One of the things he has instituted is systems to ensure that everyone obtaining a license is properly documented. There is no longer an exemption to that. That\u2019s one way we have addressed some of those concerns: ensuring we get proper documentation and I\u2019m very confident with Chief Paul Ogumoro as the acting director at BMV,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bermudes said there is a large population of foreign workers who hold CW-1 visas who obtain licenses. Previously, they needed only to show a CW-1 receipt to obtain a license. However, with new systems in place, DPS will be verifying the validity of these receipts to ensure these individuals really do have pending CW-1 visa applications. Even then, CW-1 visa holders will only be issued temporary CNMI-only licenses that will be valid for just one year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have CW-1 workers who have pending applications with USCIS and they may have families here and may be the only driver in a family. That was our concern. We have allowed and authorized those who have pending validated cases [to] be issued a temporary, CNMI-only driver\u2019s license which will be valid for up to one year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t penalize people because they\u2019re waiting for an application and, at the same time, we can\u2019t have them put on hold family business like driving kids to school, going grocery shopping, [or] driving family members to work. That\u2019s what we\u2019re realizing here for our CW-1 community and, more importantly, the community at large,\u201d Bermudes added.<\/p>\n
According to Saipan Tribune archives, Leon Guerrero conspired with her co-defendant, Li Yongde, also known as Ivan, from about Sept. 1, 2021, through about Oct. 31, 2022, to unlawfully produce a CNMI driver\u2019s license.<\/p>\n
The indictment against Deleon Guerrero came after a raid the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted on the bureau.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Clement Bermudes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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