Five charged in scheme to collect ‘illegal fees’ from non-U.S. citizens in exchange for expedited Kentucky driver’s licenses

Five people are facing charges in connection with a financial scheme that resulted in invalid driver’s licenses being issued to legally present non-U.S. citizens.

On February 4, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted the following five Louisville, Kentucky, residents on multiple charges:

• Donnita Wilson, 32
• Aariel Matthews, 27
• Raul Tellez Ojeda, 32
• Lazaro Alejandro Castello Rojas, 37
• Robert Danger Correa, 41

Charges include

• Mail Fraud (14 counts)
• Mail Fraud Conspiracy (one count)
• Honest Services Mail Fraud (14 counts)
• Honest Services Mail Fraud Conspiracy (one count)
• Unlawful Production of Identification Documents (14 Counts)
• Money Laundering Conspiracy (one count)

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Officer for the Western District of Kentucky, the defendants “devised and executed a scheme that solicited illegal fees between $200 and $1,500 from legally present, non-U.S. citizens who were applying for driver’s licenses on the promise that they would be expedited through the process without undergoing testing requirements.”

As part of the scheme, officials say certain defendants “altered information in government databases to bypass important steps in the application process and, thereby, issue invalid licenses to the non-U.S. citizens.”

The defendants are accused of orchestrating the scheme for their own financial gain, “betray[ing] the trust placed in them by Kentucky’s Transportation Cabinet.”

“This indictment represents the culmination of an investigation into a scheme by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet employees and others to illegally circumvent Kentucky’s process for issuing driver’s licenses, thereby issuing invalid licenses to lawfully present, non-U.S. citizens who had not first demonstrated their qualifications to drive on our roads. Proper vetting of individuals seeking a driver’s license is a prerequisite to ensuring the safety of Kentucky’s roadways and ensuring the legitimacy of state-issued identification. As alleged in the indictment, this fraudulent scheme involved kickbacks and bribes leading to numerous legally present, non-U.S. citizens obtaining unlawfully issued drivers licenses,” said United States Attorney Kyle Bumgarner.

If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years for each count of mail fraud, mail fraud conspiracy, honest services mail fraud, and money laundering. 

Investigating agencies include the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, the Kentucky State Police, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Owensboro Police Department.