U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact
Deborah McCarley 602-650-3201

July 11, 2006

DIRECTOR’S AWARD RECIPIENT

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Phoenix Division, John E. Lewis, announced today, July 11, 2006, that the FBI’s Director award will be presented to Assistant United States Attorney Mary Beth Pfister.

Between November 2001 and September 2004, the FBI led an undercover operation known as DOUBLE DRIVER. This undercover operation was established due to the activities of numerous corrupt Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) employees throughout Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas. These corrupt employees were selling fraudulent Arizona drivers licenses, identification cards and commercial drivers licenses to unqualified customers (i.e., undocumented aliens, drug dealers, etc.)

The case culminated in a statewide takedown of 36 subjects on September 23, 2004. The main subjects were State of Arizona MVD employees who worked at 10 different MVD branches throughout the state; additional subjects or co-conspirators who acted as middlemen or brokers arranged for undercover agents to obtain fraudulent documents through the MVD employees. Twenty subjects were arrested in Tucson and southern Arizona communities, and 16 subjects were arrested in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Assistant United States Attorney Mary Beth Pfister worked hand‑in‑hand with Phoenix case agents from the initiation of this investigation. Pfister was an integral partner throughout this investigation. Her presence at the Phoenix Division FBI Command Post on the day of the statewide takedown exemplified her dedication to this investigation and working with the FBI.

To date, 12 subjects have pled guilty, and one was found guilty at trial. In September of 2005, two additional co-conspirators who worked as brokers were indicted, both of whom have also recently plead guilty. Three additional Phoenix subjects have entered into the Pretrial Diversion program.