NASHVILLE DRIVER LICENSE EXAMINER AND MURFREESBORO MAN
INDICTED ON CONSPIRACY AND BRIBERY CHARGES
RELATED TO ISSUANCE OF FRAUDULENT DRIVER LICENSES

Nashville, Tennessee – A Nashville woman employed as a driver license examiner for the Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS), and a Murfreesboro man, have been indicted on charges of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, announced Paul M. O’Brien, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, My Harrison, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cleve Daniels, SAC of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Mark Gwyn, Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).

A three-count superseding indictment was returned today against Terry Biles, 37, and Latoya Cooper, 35, by a federal grand jury sitting in Nashville. In Count One, Biles and Cooper are both charged with conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666. In Count Two, Biles is charged with offering and giving bribes concerning programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(2). . In Count Three, Cooper is charged with accepting and agreeing to accept bribes concerning programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(B).

The initial indictment in the case, originally returned against Biles alone on August 29, also
was unsealed today.

The superseding indictment alleges that between approximately July 2003 and September 2007, a conspiracy existed between Biles, Cooper and others to issue driver licenses fraudulently to persons not authorized to receive them. As set forth in the superseding indictment, as a TDOS driver license examiner, Cooper had the authority to issue Tennessee driver licenses on behalf of TDOS to individuals who could provide proof of identity, proof of residency in Tennessee, and proof of United States citizenship or lawful permanent residency in the United States, and who also satisfied all other applicable requirements for obtaining a driver license, such as passing written, road, and vision tests.

The superseding indictment alleges that Biles, Cooper and others (including four residents of Georgia identified in the superseding indictment as Individuals A, B, C, and D), conspired to commit bribery in connection with the business of a state agency receiving certain federal funding, namely, TDOS. A principal object of the conspiracy, according to the superseding indictment, was for Biles to pay, and Cooper to receive, money in return for Cooper causing Tennessee driver licenses to be issued to persons they both knew were not entitled to receive a Tennessee driver license.

According to the superseding indictment, Biles learned of persons who were interested in obtaining a driver license that such persons were not authorized to obtain and that would contain false personal identifying information. The superseding indictment alleges that Biles directed certain persons (“license recipients”), including Individual A, Individual B, Individual C and Individual D, to Cooper at a TDOS station for the purpose of having Cooper cause license recipients to be issued Tennessee driver licenses that the license recipients were not authorized to obtain.

The superseding indictment also alleges that due to the efforts of Biles and others, license recipients were provided with counterfeit social security cards and birth certificates for use in obtaining a Tennessee driver license, and that false names, addressed, dates of birth and social security numbers were in used connection with the Tennessee driver licenses. The superseding indictment also alleges that Cooper caused Tennessee driver licenses to be issued to license recipients, despite knowing that such license recipients were not entitled to receive licenses because their identity, Tennessee residency, and United States citizenship or legal permanent residency had not been verified, and because they did not pass all applicable tests.

In exchange for causing Tennessee driver licenses to be issued to at least 100 license recipients, according to the superseding indictment, Cooper agreed to accept and did accept from Biles bribes totaling in excess of $5,000. The superseding indictment also alleges that Biles received cash from or on behalf of license recipients, in return for arranging for them to receive Tennessee driver licenses.

Mr. O’Brien stated, “We take very seriously allegations that driver licenses and other significant identification documents have been obtained fraudulently. Likewise, we place great emphasis on combating corruption committed by public employees. Conduct like that alleged in the superseding indictment is very disturbing not only because it involves bribery of a public employee, but also because the very existence of fraudulent identification documents presents an advantage to criminals and a potential risk to national security. Working with officials from TDOS and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue those responsible for issuing and using fraudulent driver licenses.”

O’Brien praised the TDOS for its support during the investigation, which was conducted jointly by the FBI, the TBI, and the IRS-CID. The United States is being represented by Assistant United States Attorney Eli J. Richardson.

The public is reminded that an indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is presumed not guilty and is entitled to a jury trial at which the Government would bear the burden of proving each charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

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