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Woman in driver’s license scam gets 2-year probation sentence
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Posted on Nov 05 2011
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
The federal court yesterday imposed a two-year probation sentence on one of five persons involved in a driver’s license scam at the Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Motor Vehicle.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona ordered Tahira Dolores Selepeo Miah to comply with conditions, including performing 100 hours of community service and paying $25 in special assessment fee.
Manglona dismissed the indictment that charged Miah with three counts as part of the plea bargain.
The judge noted that the defendant’s actions in this case implicated the public’s safety but when she realized that what she did was unlawful, she immediately assisted law enforcement in the investigation and cooperated with the government.
Manglona said she agrees with the recommendation by the U.S. government and defense counsel G. Anthony Long that probation is the appropriate sentence for Miah.
Last June, Miah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully produce and transfer an identification document.
The other co-defendants are Miah’s former husband, Mohammad Jahangir Miah, DPS Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ former supervisor William A. Hocog, Hongmei Sun, and Hui Qiang Yan. All defendants pleaded guilty.
According to the U.S. government, Sun and Yan introduced foreign nationals as driver’s license applicants to the Miah couple in order for the applicants to illegally obtain driver’s licenses with the help of Hocog.
