Sterling Man Sentenced on Bribery Charges
Defendant Bribed BMV Employee to Process Applications for More Than 100 Illegal Aliens

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Jose Calderon, 42, of Sterling, Virginia, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for engaging in a bribery scheme that resulted in the issuance of driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

“Schemes such as this, trading cash for DMV documents, undermine the enforcement of our immigration laws and potentially threaten public safety,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Boente. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to combatting public corruption at all levels of government, and we thank our partners at the FBI for their commitment to this issue.”

“Allegations of public corruption will not be overlooked or downplayed, and those who take part in such activity will be held responsible for their crimes,” said Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. “Citizens who observe behavior like this are encouraged to call the FBI.”

On November 6, 2013, Calderon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bribe an employee at Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), a state agency that receives federal funding.

According to court documents, from September 2007 to July 2010, Calderon solicited cash payments from illegal aliens in return for helping them secure DMV documents for which they were not eligible. After Calderon collected cash from ineligible applicants, he provided a DMV employee, Maria Cavallaro, 45, of Springfield, Virginia, a portion of the money to induce her to falsely verify that the ineligible applicants had produced documentation establishing their eligibility for the requested DMV documents. As part of this scheme, Calderon brought more than 100 ineligible applicants to the DMV Service Center located at the Fair Oaks Mall to obtain driver’s licenses, learner’s permits, and identification cards.

Maria Cavallaro pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy and also was sentenced during court proceedings today. A third defendant, Noemi Barboza, 42, of Sterling, Virginia, previously entered a guilty plea to the bribery conspiracy, and she will be sentenced on February 14, 2014.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Rebeca H. Bellows prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

Any person who believes they may have information regarding public corruption in the Northern Virginia area is encouraged to contact the FBI’s Northern Virginia Public Corruption Hotline at 703-686-6225 or NOVAPC@ic.fbi.gov.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.