Corrupt Registry Clerk Arrested in False Licesne Scam

Media outlets are reporting on Adriana Ferreira, a Registry of Motor Vehicles clerk who worked at the Watertown Branch. She ran a scam whereby she bilked illegal immigrants out of thousands of dollars, by promising them to get false driver’s licenses and resolve their immigration problems. When she failed to deliver and they complained, she threatened to notify immigration authorities and have the illegal immigrants deported. This woman should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for taking advantage of a vulnerable segment of our population.

Readers should keep in mind that this is one employee out of hundreds. The vast majority of Registry employees are honest, ethical, trustworthy, and hard working. They do a great job with limited resources. They are among the lowest paid in the state, considering the work they do and the huge volume of transactions and customers they deal with. The public shoud not judge all Registry employees based on Ferreira’s misconduct.

Adriana Ferreira was not able to deliver on her promises because the Registry uses sophisticated technology to insure that the licenses being issued are legitimate. For example, when someone applies for a driver’s license in Massachusetts, the social security number they provide is cross matched with a U.S. Social Security Administration to insure that it is legitimate. If the social security number does not validate, the license cannot be issued. The Registry also uses facial recognition technology to detect license and identity fraud.