December 19, 2013
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced a Las Vegas woman was indicted by a Clark County grand jury on multiple felony counts in connection with her operation of vehicle title fraud. Ana Ojeda, 44 of Las Vegas, owner of DMV Cervicio Express was charged with 19 counts of fraud including charges of possessing a financial forgery laboratory.
“Because these types of service companies are not regulated by the Department of Motor Vehicles, they are subject to fraud and corruption,” said Masto. “They frequently target new immigrant populations who are either unaware the services are available for free, or those who fear contact with government agencies due to their immigration status.”
Ojeda is accused of using counterfeit notary stamps, DMV validation stamps, and DMV forms to generate false documents. She is accused of forging owner signatures on car title documents, resulting in new titles being issued to automobiles, without the true owner’s knowledge.
Ojeda is charged with 17 felonies and two gross misdemeanors which include:
- (9) forgery,
- (2) unlawful possession of property of a notary public,
- (3) offering a false instrument for filing or recording,
- (2) obtaining and using personal identifying information of another for an unlawful purpose, and
- (3) establishing or possessing a financial forgery laboratory.
The incidents occurred on or about April 2013 to Sept. 2013.
The Nevada Attorney General’s office reminds the public that these service companies charge money to perform transactions which are free when conducted through an authorized Nevada DMV location. Further with the new law extending driving privileges to undocumented workers becoming effective on Jan. 1, 2014, the public should not fear accessing DMV services.
This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Allison L. Herr and was investigated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles.
An indictment is a statement of charges. The defendant is presumed innocent until his guilt is proven in a court of law.
Click here to read the indictment.
| ANA OJEDA |
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(Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
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