Four Nashville Men Sentenced In Driver License Bribery Scheme

Four local men were sentenced yesterday on federal bribery charges stemming from the fraudulent issuance of Tennessee driver license permits, announced Jack Smith, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Walton Michael Wand, 52, of Antioch, Tennessee, formerly employed by the Tennessee Department of Safety as a license examiner at the Hart Lane station in Nashville, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and fined $7,500. Wand used his position as a state employee to solicit and accept bribes in exchange for issuing driver’s licenses to unqualified individuals. He was found guilty in March 2017 by a federal jury, after a two-week trial. Wand issued at least 21 fraudulent drivers’ license permits, charging $250 for each. Many of the applicants were unable to pass the written examination.

Three co-defendants were also sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy. Faransis Romany Faltas, 41, was sentenced to 12 months of probation, and fined $400; Nourrdine Abidi, 50, was sentenced to time served and fined $250; and Youssef Aziz Abdelmalak, 40, received a sentence of time served.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie N. Toussaint and Ryan R. Raybould prosecuted the case.