Woman who obtained her driver’s license through fraud pleads guilty

An overstaying Chinese national who presented a CNMI driver’s license that she allegedly obtained through fraud has pleaded guilty in federal court.

At a change of plea hearing before U.S. District Court for the NMI Magistrate Judge Heather L. Kennedy last Friday, Dingping Kan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully produce an identification document. Kennedy later said she will recommend to Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona to accept Kan’s guilty plea. Sentencing hearing will be on June 5 at 9am.

David G. Banes is the court-appointed counsel for Kan. Assistant U.S. attorney Garth Backe appeared for the U.S. government.

According to the plea deal, Kan, a resident of Tinian, agreed with another person on Saipan on Nov. 9, 2019, to unlawfully obtain a CNMI driver’s license for Kan in exchange for $500.

Kan put her expired driver’s license, her social security card, a copy of her Chinese passport, a small passport photo of herself, and $500 cash into a small bag. She then gave the bag to a person who was flying from Tinian to Saipan in order to give it to another individual. Kan later received a message on WeChat from the other individual confirming they had received the documents and money.

Approximately three to four days later, the other individual sent Kan a fraudulently-made CNMI driver’s license by giving it to a person flying from Saipan to Tinian. The defendant then picked it up at the airport. Kan knew it was illegal to obtain a driver’s license without legal immigration status.

Homeland Security Investigations special agent David West stated in his report that Kan was encountered at the CNMI Customs inspection area at the seaport last Jan. 15, where she presented a CNMI driver’s license to CNMI Customs as her identification.

West said that that during an interview with law enforcement officers, Kan informed them that she had no legal immigration status to be in the U.S.

West said that when contacted about the incident, HSI conducted a search and later determined that Kan has indeed no immigration status and that the driver’s license that she had presented to Customs was fraudulent.

Kan arrived last Wednesday at the Port of Saipan to clear a cargo container that was recently shipped to the Saipan seaport from China.

The defendant paid the dues as the consignee for the shipment and the cargo container was held for inspection.