TruthArchive.ai - Tweets Saved By @RepNancyMace

Posted - June 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM

Saved - June 16, 2025 at 8:28 PM

@RepNancyMace - Rep. Nancy Mace

DMV employees handing out licenses to illegal immigrants like its Halloween candy. You can’t make this stuff up. Lock. Them. Up.

@libsoftiktok - Libs of TikTok

Wow. Eight people arrested, including 2 DMV employees in scheme to issue fraudulent drivers licenses including to ILLEGAL ALIENS in exchange for money. Hundreds of fraudulent licenses were reportedly issued https://t.co/Yg4qcxcpYZ

Video Transcript AI Summary

A joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security led to eight arrests related to fraudulent driver's licenses. Two Bay County Tax Collector's Office employees, Bancel Velasco and Demetrius Smith, allegedly issued licenses to individuals, including illegal immigrants, without required testing, in exchange for bribes. Financial records confirmed the employees received large sums of money. Five Panama City residents acted as brokers, bringing people from as far as Miami to obtain licenses. One broker had outstanding human trafficking warrants in Texas. One person who fraudulently obtained a license was also arrested. The investigation began when an employee was found to have conducted 295 road exams in one month, far exceeding the average of 20-25. Authorities seized $120,000 from Velasco and Smith's homes. The Bay County tax collector stated he was shocked and angry and is working to improve processes. Officials say the investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected.

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Full Transcript

Speaker 0: It says hundreds of fraudulent driver's license were distributed right here in Bay County. News Channel seven's Austin Mehta has been following the story and joins us with the latest. Austin. Speaker 1: Barry, eight people have been arrested after a joint investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations. They say illegal immigrants were paying to obtain those driver's licenses illegally. Speaker 2: About a month ago, we began investigating information that individuals within the Bay County Tax Collector's Offices were issuing fraudulent driver's licenses to aliens. Speaker 1: Two employees were allegedly issuing the licenses to people without the required testing. Some of those, they say, are illegal immigrants. Speaker 2: Analysis of financial records confirmed that the employees were receiving large sums of currency from numerous sources. Speaker 1: Sheriff Tommy Ford says two employees of the tax collector's office, 37 year old Bancel Velasco and 30 year old Demetrius Smith the second, were arrested Wednesday for their role in the scheme to provide licenses to individuals who never took required driving tests. Speaker 2: These weren't minor shortcuts. These were intentional acts of corruption where individuals paid bribes in exchange for skipping critical safety evaluations. Speaker 1: Officials say five more Panama City residents acted as brokers, funneling people from as far away as Miami to Bay County to get these licenses. Two of them, owner and employee of a local company called Cuba Max. Another, a man with warrants for four counts of human trafficking in Texas. Three others were arrested, including one not identified as a broker, but one of the estimated hundreds of people who fraudulently obtained licenses through this scheme. Bay County tax collector Chuck Perdue says the findings were unexpected. Speaker 3: I am angry, and I'm shocked to learn that these individuals, now two former employees, engaged in fraudulent activity that violate the trust of our office and our community. Speaker 1: The investigation began May 20 when it was noticed that numbers at the tax collector's office were strange. Speaker 3: An employee on average during the month will do 20 to 25 road exams. I had one employee, mister Smith, who did 295 exams one month. Speaker 1: Purdue says his office is taking action to keep this from happening again. Speaker 3: We have a lot of opportunities for improvement, and I look forward to working with our state partners and our law enforcement agencies to put those processes in place. Speaker 1: Authorities also seized a $120,000 from the homes of Velasco and Smith. They say this is an ongoing investigation and more arrests are expected. Barry? Speaker 0: All right, thank you, Austin. To see the full list of charges, you can head over to our website, wjhg.com.