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After Police Investigation. Driver License Examiner Pleads Guilty 02-12-02

HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE POLICE CHIEF
PHONE: 961-2243
FEBRUARY 12, 2002
G-50546

MEDIA RELEASE

In December 2000, police received a tip that illegal aliens could obtain a state driver’s license for $500, which is a violation of federal law under the U.S. Code Title 18, Section 1028.

On learning of the allegation, Kona Criminal Investigation Section detectives ordered an audit of driver license records issued in Kona.

During the investigation, Kona detectives discovered 87 discrepancies in driver license transactions involving Clayton C. Perreira, a Police Department driver’s license examiner employed at the station in Kailua-Kona.

Detectives notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a joint investigation determined that of the 87 questionable transactions, 17 involved illegal aliens where Perreira charged individuals $500 to $800 for a Hawaii driver’s license. Police and FBI investigators then turned the cases over to the U.S. attorney’s office for prosecution.

On December 8, 2000, Perreira was placed on leave from his job as a licensing examiner, and he resigned on January 25, 2002.

On Tuesday (February 5, 2002), Perreira pleaded guilty in federal court to using a county computer to produce driver’s licenses fraudulently to illegal aliens. On May 21, 2002, Perreira is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court.

Police Chief James S. Correa said he is satisfied with the outcome of the investigation and acknowledged the support of the FBI in this investigation.

He reported that control measures are now being employed to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Correa expressed disappointment that the responsible party was a civilian employee of the Hawaii County Police Department’s Drivers License Bureau in Kona.

He said such conduct will not be tolerated in the police department and that the “results of the investigation only indicates that once such conduct is divulged, the department will quickly respond and properly investigate.”

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