Clerk At Lodi DMV Took Bribes, State Charges

LODI, NJ — A clerk at the Lodi DMV office was charged Wednesday with letting more then 220 people pass their driver's license test or permit test in exchange for bribes.

Rodman Lora, 39, of Ridgewood, N.Y., allegedly accepted thousands of dollars in payments in return for illegally allowing more than 220 individuals to obtain permits and licenses, the NJ Attorney General said. Lora is a former clerk at the Lodi MVC Agency. He accepted the bribes between 2014 and 2016, enabling the individuals to obtain various permits and licenses without having passed the mandatory written and/or driving exams, the AG said.

In return, Lora allegedly received cash payments that averaged more than $700 per license or permit.

Lora was arrested alongside four customers at the Lodi DMV, three “runners” whom Lora allegedly used to recruit customers, and two co-conspirators who worked at the Lodi MVC Agency, one as an MVC clerk and the second as a security guard. The Motor Vehicle Commission uncovered the alleged scheme after an audit the state did of the Lodi DMV office.

The following nine additional defendants were charged in the indictment with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree computer criminal activity, and third-degree tampering with public records:

Alleged Runners:

1. Masood Ahmadi, 54, of Lake Hiawatha, N.J., is the owner of Ideal Transportation, a school bus company that holds busing contracts with several schools and school districts in northern New Jersey. He allegedly recruited customers seeking commercial driver’s licenses into the scheme. Most were relatives of his or were seeking employment as bus drivers with Ideal Transportation.
2. Luis Tiburcio, 46, of Passaic, N.J.
3. Carlos Vicuna, 36, of Elizabeth, N.J.

Alleged Co-Conspirators at Lodi MVC Agency:

1. Rosa Vargas, 51, of Lodi, N.J., an MVC clerk, allegedly obtained a motorcycle permit without taking the required written exam. Lora allegedly entered a passing written exam score for her.
2. Mark Hingston, 55, of Toms River, N.J., a private security guard at the Lodi MVC Agency, allegedly obtained a commercial driver’s permit and license without passing the required written exam. Lora allegedly entered a passing written exam score for him.

Alleged Customers:

1. Wander Jimenez-Villanueva, 25, of Bogota, N.J., allegedly obtained a Class D driver’s license without passing the required written exam. Lora allegedly entered a passing written exam score for him. Jimenez-Villanueva previously had failed the exam on four occasions.
2. Angel Nunez-Lora, 27, of Parlin, N.J., allegedly obtained a commercial driver’s license without passing the required written exam. Lora allegedly entered a passing written exam score for him. Nunez-Lora previously had failed the exam on one occasion.
3. Jose Lora, 44, of Newark, N.J., who is Rodman Lora’s brother, allegedly obtained a commercial driver’s license without passing the required written exam. Lora allegedly entered a passing written exam score for him.
4. Wilge Rojas, 55, of Clifton, N.J., allegedly obtained a commercial driver’s license without passing the required written exam. Lora allegedly entered a passing written exam score for him. Rojas previously had failed the exam on one occasion.

“We’ll continue to work with the MVC to root out dishonest clerks and aggressively prosecute anyone involved in this type of criminal scheme," said Director Elie Honig of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice.

"Lora sold out the trust placed in him as a motor vehicle clerk and now faces serious criminal charges, thanks to the vigilance of the MVC and the work of our detectives and attorneys," said Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino.

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