A former Tennessee official and her husbanded pleaded guilty on Thursday to illegally producing “hundreds” Tennessee driver’s licenses for sale to illegal immigrants.
Cheryl Huff and husband Mario Paz-Mejia, both of Knoxville, pleaded guilty to one “count of conspiracy to produce, without lawful authority, identification documents or false identification documents,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which revealed in a press release that Huff abused her position at the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDSHS) to create the illicit documents.
Paz-Mejia, according to the DOJ, was responsible for recruiting “individuals who were neither citizens of the United States nor residents of Tennessee who wanted to acquire a Tennessee driver’s license or identification card.” Citing his marriage to Huff, he would then represent “to his customers that, in return for $2,500, Paz-Mejia could obtain for them a Tennessee driver’s license or identification card.”
The DOJ press release explained that Paz-Mejia also assisted his illegal immigrant clients with “obtaining false citizenship and residency documents” that Tennessee requires for driver’s licenses, “including fraudulent lease agreements,” “false birth certificates, Social Security cards, and driver’s licenses from other states and U.S. territories to establish proof of citizenship or legal residency in the United States.”
Prosecutors confirmed Huff used her access to TDSHS internal software to “confirm the names and information on the false citizenship and residency documents used by Paz-Mejia’s customers.” The DOJ referenced an exchange of text messages between Paz-Mejia and Huff, during which he asked his wife to “check” whether names she selected could be used for their illicit purposes. In response, she acknowledged, “All these are not on file. They’re good.”
Huff and Paz-Mejia each face up to 15 years in prison, $250,000 in fines, and supervised release for three years, according to the DOJ.
TDSHS Commissioner Jeff Long said in a statement that he was “deeply disappointed” by the actions of the former district manager “and others who betrayed the trust and tarnished the reputation” of the government agency. Long also thanked other department employees for sounding the alarm over the illicit activity.
A comment request to a press contact for Governor Bill Lee by The Tennessee Star, which also sought to ascertain whether the governor knew of the guilty pleas or thought TDSHS needed reform, was not returned by press time.
The investigation that led to the guilty pleadings remains ongoing, the DOJ press release confirms. It involves the Tennessee Highway Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Inspection Services, and U.S. Secret Service.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Since the article does not say that the “Tennessee official” was a Republican, can we safely assume that she was a Democrat? I mean, isn’t it the official Democrat position that there are no “illegals”, only “undocumented”?
Anyone at all surprised by this?
Most important, did they get back all the fake IDs?
I expect this is not an isolated case. My guess, given the environment the Biden administration has created, is that this behavior can be found nationwide. There may even be more of these type of things happening here in our state. The article leave out some key info which may not be available to the writer. How did Paz-Mejia find and communicate with out-of-state illegal immigrants? Does crossing state lines with fraudulent documents make this also federal criminality? Have they plead guilty to become cooperating witnesses in a larger operation?
I hope Tom Pappert stays on this one and follows up.
Print them some fake Mexican documents and ship them south of the border.
How many criminal illegal aliens used these documents to illegally purchase firearms? The names on the phony documents would come back clean after the FBI background check.
Maybe 15 to life would be better for something as seditious as these crimes are.
Maybe, strip them of US Citizenship and drop them south of the border?
just the tip of the issue for sure. Should be fined more and given more jail time. 2,500.00 times hundred of fake Tennessee licenses???? They made a fortune off this rip off……not surprised. More illegal immigration equals more problems like this….children being sold as sex slaves as well….thank the current administration for this problems…..how about it governor Lee? Waiting to hear your comment. Also waiting for you to release the covenant shooter’s manifesto…..
Lock up both of them and throw away the key.