Former Tennessee Driver License Service Center Employee Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Bribery

Larry Murphy,54, of Antioch, Tennessee, and Anny Castillo, 30, of Madison, Tennessee, were sentenced on February 15, 2013, on federal bribery charges stemming from the fraudulent issuance of Tennessee driver licenses, announced Jerry E. Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Murphy, who had been employed by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security as a licensing clerk, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to forfeit almost $70,000 in bribes he received for issuing driver’s licenses to unauthorized applicants.

Castillo was sentenced to 90 days in prison and nine months of house arrest for paying bribes to Murphy to obtain licenses for applicants who did not pass the required tests. Castillo was also ordered to forfeit $42,500 which she received to broker the transactions. Both defendants requested more lenient sentences, but U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp noted that the sentences imposed were called for due to the serious nature of the offense.

“Government employees owe a duty of trust to the citizens of middle Tennessee that they serve,” said United States Attorney Jerry Martin. “Public employees who corruptly breach that trust should expect to go to prison, even if, like Mr. Murphy, they have not previously been in serious trouble with the law.

Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New Orleans, who oversees the region that includes Tennessee, added, “Fraudulent documents threaten the security of all citizens by making it easier for criminals to commit a range of offenses from identity theft to potential terrorism. HSI and its law enforcement partners continually work together to identify and prosecute criminals who violate the public trust.”

Tennessee Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons stated, “There are homeland security concerns with identity crimes as it relates to driver licenses. Our department initiated this investigation as soon as we learned of possible criminal activity by Mr. Murphy, an employee in one of the state’s driver services centers. With the help of our federal partners, justice was served and the sentence was appropriate for the crime.” This case was jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hilliard Hester.