DMV worker jailed in fake-ID probe

Friday, April 8, 2005 | 11:09 a.m.

A Department of Motor Vehicles employee remained in jail this morning after allegedly being caught on tape selling a fake state identification card, police said.

The arrest Saturday morning came after a three-month undercover investigation, DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said.

The employee, Charita Murray Carter, came under suspicion after another woman, Crystal Lamb, was arrested on prostitution charges in September 2004. In January, Metro Police said they discovered Lamb had a fake Nevada identification card, which was eventually traced to Carter.

Lamb allegedly told state officials that she had been introduced to a man at the West Flamingo Road office. The man then introduced her to a clerk identified as Carter.

She would later pay a man named "Romeo" or "Remo" $500 for the falsified card, police said.

Carter was arrested after an undercover meeting in which Lamb tried to buy another ID card with bogus information, Malone said.

The DMV spokesman said he did not know what developed during the two months between the time Metro turned its information about the case over to the DMV and DMV's eventual interview of Lamb. The investigation was handled by the DMV's fraudulent documents section.

"They were just working the case," Malone said. "I'm not privy to the details, but these investigations take some time."

Carter was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of possession or sale of a document or personal identifying information to establish a false identity.

The fraudulent ID card, which bore Carter's photograph but the name of Jenna Friedman had been issued at the West Flamingo office and it was valid until Oct. 12, 2008, according to Carter's arrest report.

Malone said DMV officials did not know this morning whether Carter also created other fake identification cards. The state agency has begun what will likely be a lengthy audit of her transaction records. The review may span her entire four-year tenure, he said.

"There's no reason to believe there's others, but there's no reason to believe there's not," Malone said of the investigation.

On March 7, computer, records, printing equipment and 1,700 blank driver's licenses were stolen from the DMV at 4110 Donovan Way near Craig Road and Interstate 15.

As of this morning, officials had yet to report any arrests or recoveries of DMV property in connection with that case.

Officials conceded that files were stolen from computers that could provide burglars with complete driver's license information, Social Security numbers and dates of birth for 8,738 individuals who had been issued a driver's license at the DMV from Nov. 25, 2004 to March 4, 2005.

The DPS and North Las Vegas Police are investigating the missing files. No arrests have been made in that case.

DMV officials said the department is increasing security at offices statewide.