BOSTON—Massachusetts’ driver’s license law for illegal immigrants — sold by Beacon Hill as a “road safety” reform — has blown up into a federal fraud scandal. Prosecutors say the Bay State became ground zero for a multi-year scheme that churned out hundreds of licenses for illegals across the Northeast.

On Sept. 26, federal Judge Margaret Guzman sentenced ringleader Cesar Agusto Martin Reis, a 28-year-old Brazilian national living illegally in Connecticut, to time served — just 290 days behind bars — after he admitted to conspiring to obtain driver’s licenses for more than 1,000 ineligible applicants. Over 600 licenses were approved, creating an underground market of government IDs that stretched from Boston to New York.

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Fake Photos, Fake Papers, Real Licenses

Investigators say Reis and his crew mastered the art of DMV deception. To get around online permit tests, they snapped pictures of customers “sitting down,” then uploaded the images during exams to trick the system into thinking the applicants were the ones clicking answers.

They forged driving school certificates, faked staff signatures, and even manufactured foreign passports to hand to the Massachusetts RMV. When illegals needed proof of New York residency, Reis’ crew stuffed their folders with phony leases and utility bills. DMV clerks fell for it.

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From Bedford Traffic Stop to Federal Case

The scam only unraveled after a traffic stop in Bedford, Massachusetts, in February 2024. Police found Reis holding 50 fraudulent licenses in his car — a stash that exposed a sprawling operation moving documents, cash, and customers up and down I-90.

Before Massachusetts caved in 2023, Bay State illegals were chauffeured to New York DMV offices with forged paperwork. But once Beacon Hill flipped the law, the fraud came home. Massachusetts IDs became the most valuable prize in the underground market.

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$1,400 a Head — Massachusetts Law Turned Into Cash Cow

The racket wasn’t about “safety.” Reis charged $1,400 per customer — collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in a black-market business made possible by Massachusetts policy.

Mayor Michelle Wu and her legislative allies promised the public that handing licenses to illegal immigrants would make the roads safer. Instead, the Registry of Motor Vehicles was duped with forged passports, doctored photos, and fake documents. The result: hundreds of unvetted drivers now holding state-issued IDs.

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Slap on the Wrist

Despite federal statutes carrying up to 15 years in prison, Reis skated with less than a year served. He now faces deportation, but the light sentence shows just how little accountability exists when illegal immigrants and fraud collide.

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Massachusetts as the Epicenter

This wasn’t a crime “happening elsewhere.” It was built on Massachusetts soil, under Massachusetts law, with Massachusetts IDs. Out-of-state illegals lined up, paid cash, and walked away with documents stamped “Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

While Wu hails “equity” and Beacon Hill cheers sanctuary policies, federal agents — Homeland Security, Postal Inspectors, and U.S. Attorneys — are left mopping up the mess.