Nearly $50,000 in bribes paid in Kansas driver’s license fraud case, documents show

A former Kansas state worker accused of issuing dozens of fraudulent driver’s licenses allegedly received nearly $50,000 in bribes over two years, according to newly released court documents.

The documents outline how 28-year-old Samantha Jo Moore allegedly thwarted internal security measures to issue the licenses, many to people who entered the United States illegally.

Moore, of Kansas City, is charged in Johnson County District Court with 51 felony counts.

Prosecutors also have filed charges against more than 40 others, including five described in the documents as “fixers” accused of facilitating deals between Moore and those seeking licenses.

Moore worked as a driver’s license examiner at the office in Mission when the alleged criminal activity occurred.

Investigators with the Kansas Department of Revenue began looking into the case last July after they spoke to a person who obtained a license allegedly issued by Moore in 2013 using a Social Security number that belonged to someone else. The documents don’t state how investigators first learned about that license holder.

Subsequent investigation found that between November 2011 and October 2013, at least 56 licenses were issued using fraudulent Social Security numbers, according to the documents.

Last October, a person cooperating with investigators obtained a fraudulent license from Moore while the meeting was audio and video recorded.

In late February, Moore admitted to the scheme while being questioned by investigators, according to the documents. She also admitted to shredding documents to cover the activity.

She said that she received from $500 to $1,000 for each transaction. She said she quit making the licenses in 2013 after attending an internal training session on how to report fraud.

Moore told investigators she used the money for living expenses or to pay bills. According to the documents, she received $28,500 in 2012 and $20,500 in 2013 and did not report the income on her tax returns. Two counts of filing fraudulent tax returns are among the charges she faces.

The day after she was questioned, Moore cooperated with investigators to conduct two transactions arranged by one of the alleged fixers. Both of those applicants used birth certificates issued in the names of other people. Moore was paid $3,000 for those two transactions, according to the documents.

Moore, who was arrested April 21, remained in the Johnson County Jail on Monday. Her bond has been reduced from $250,000 to $125,000. Her next court hearing is scheduled for May 21.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Nearly $50,000 in bribes paid in Kansas driver’s license fraud case, documents show."