Judge Steven Price today DENIED the motion for dismissal filed by Miguel Robleto’s attorney Fred Natchigal (see yesterday’s post for deets). The Victoria Taft Show Courtroom mole 🙂 reports the Judge appeared not to buy the defense’s story that the former DMV worker-turned-entrepreneur had nothing to do with the mysterious jailed Tanya’s enterprise of coming up with phony ID for the 80,000 illegal aliens who appeared in Oregon and who within days received an Oregon Driver’s License through the help of Robleto’s DME (Drive Masters). In addition, the judge made an interesting comment about the records of giving 80,000 driving tests that Robleto didn’t bother to keep. The judge said those documents appear to be public records because they were being kept by a DMV sanctioned driving school and hence were official DMV documents. Where are they Mr. Robleto?
Nachtigal appeared to be so happy about his arguments made in court yesterday that he was singing as he left the courtroom. His good humor, alas, went void when the judge ruled against him. In fact, because he apparently thought he’d win the dismissal Natchigal didn’t bother to come prepared with witnesses and opening statements to begin the defense’s case. He’s on tomorrow at 9am in the Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro.
Mr. Robleto, who speaks perfect, fluent English (since he worked in the DMV for years), will be provided with a taxpayer provided interpreter for tomorrow’s proceedings.
Interesting case, huh? The Oregonian doesn’t think so. The newspaper of record (HA!) has carried one story on the case. One. That was before the trial started.
BTW: here’s how the scam worked:
Illegal aliens would be carted to Oregon from points around the US where they would stay in the Dunes Motel and other nearby hotels in Hillsboro. They’d be provided (for a fee of course) residency “ID” (yes, using the hotel/motel addresses) which was in the form of a postmarked envelope. Tanya is convicted of having sent those envelopes to herself by the dozens (the addressee would be written in pencil), whereupon receipt she would erase the pencil and fill in the names of her “clients.” According to testimony by an investigator during the trial, Tanya and her people would also provide VOTER IDENTIFICATION CARDS as ID! They’d take their driving training at the DME, most often using Robleto’s car, and then take their written exams at the DMV.
It’s a shame Mr. Robleto didn’t keep any records. Bummer. I would like to have filed a FOIA request to get a look at those babies and cross reference those names with the voters list.
