Kissimmee man sentenced for issuing fraudulent Fla. driver's licenses

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Kissimmee man was sentenced Tuesday to two years and one day in prison, along with 25 hours of community service, for aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to produce fraudulently obtained driver’s licenses. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Services and the Florida Highway Patrol’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence.

According to court documents, Walter Brown, 42, was a customer service representative at the Osceola County Tax Collector’s Office, where he issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. Court documents show, in this capacity, Brown issued more than 250 Florida driver’s licenses and identification cards to individuals who may not have been legally entitled to the documents. In some instances, Brown issued fraudulent driver’s licenses and identification cards in multiple identities to the same person. Brown made an estimated $300 to $700 for each fraudulent identity document he issued.

The Osceola County Tax Collector’s Office reported Brown to law enforcement after internal controls revealed suspicious activity involving his issuance of Florida driver’s licenses and identification cards. The Tax Collector’s Office cooperated fully in the investigation and Brown was terminated from his employment.

"Identity and document fraud poses a significant threat to our country's national security. This individual fraudulently issued identity documents to hundreds of individuals with no regard for the people whose identities were compromised," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Tampa, which oversees the agency's Orlando office that conducted this investigation. "Thanks to cooperation from the Osceola County Tax Collector's Office, we were able to dismantle this scheme."

Brown pleaded guilty Dec.13.