Antioch Man Convicted In Driver's License Bribery Scheme

NASHVILLE, TN — A 52-year-old former driver's license examiner could spend more than 50 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of conspiracy and bribery.

Walton Wand of Antioch was convicted of three counts of conspiracy and one count of bribery for accepting bribes to issue Tennessee driver's licenses to people who either failed a driver's license examination or who were otherwise ineligible to receive a license in a scheme that ran for more than a year between 2009 and 2010.

According to testimony from two of his conspirators, Nourrdine Abidi and Youssef Aziz Abdelmalak, Wand directed them to recruit other individuals, primarily Middle Easterners and Egyptians living around the Nashville area, to pay bribes.

Once he received payment, Wand issued driver’s licenses to them. Abidi and Abdelmalak have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced March 17.

A fourth conspirator, Faransis Faltas, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with Wand. He will be sentenced May 19.

Each of Wand's conspiracy charges carries a sentence of up to 15 years with the bribery charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years.

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