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WEBVTT JC: 5 INVESTIGATES LOOKING INTOA NEW $62 MILLION CONTRACT FORTHE REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLESTO HANDLE DRIVERS LICENSES.BEN: BUT DOES IT STOP PEOPLEFROM GETTING A LICENSE IN A NAMETHAT'S NOT REALLY THEIRS?IT'S A SECURITY FLAW THAT OURKATHY CURRAN HAS ALREADYEXPOSED, AND NOW SHE'S ASKINGWHY THIS NEW SYSTEM DOESN'T DOMORE.KATHY: FERNANDO'S STANDS ON THEDOCK, CALLED BY THE NAME HEISHIDDEN FROM FOR DECADES.UNTIL NOW THE STATE HAS KNOWNHIM UNDER A DIFFERENT IDENTITY.HE RECEIVED A DRIVERS LICENSEFROM THE REGISTRY OF MOTORVEHICLES USING THE NAME JORAND HE RECEIVED STATE BENEFITSAND A TOBACCO LICENSE FOR HISCONVENIENCE STORE UNDER THATNAME.TAKE A LOOK.HE EVEN VOTED IN THE NOVEMBER2012 ELECTION USING THAT TAKE IDAREA -- FAKE ID.NOW HE IS FACING DRUG ANDIDENTITY CHARGES, PUTTING HIMSQUARELY AT THE HEART OF APROBLEM THAT SOME IN LAWENFORCEMENT SAY THEMASSACHUSETTS REGISTRY OF MOTORVEHICLES IS IGNORING, THE EASEWITH WHICH PEOPLE CAN GETDRIVERS LICENSE IS IN NAMES THATARE NOT THEIR OWN,OFTEN USINGSTOLEN IDENTITIES FROM PUERTORICO.IT ALLOWS CRIMINALS TO EVADECAPTURE AND PROSECUTION. O>> THEY ARE OPENING THEDOOR TOBENEFITS AND SIPHONING MONEYFROM PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY INNEED.KAREN:SHAUNNA O'CONNELL SAYSTHE STATE NEEDS TO STOP THEM ONTHE SPOT.>> WE NEED TO BE VERYAGGRESSIVE.KAREN: COURT RECORDS SHOW THATTHIS ACCUSED MURDERER HAD ADRIVERS LICENSE UNDER ONENAME,WORKED UNDER ANOTHER, AND WASKNOWN BY THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDAS ANOTHER.THIS CONVICT DID CHILD MOLESTERWAS ON THE MOST WANTED SEXFUGITIVES LIST THE SUMMER.HE HAD A DRIVERS LICENSE UNDERONE NAME, BUT AUTHORITIES SAYNOT HIS TRUE IDENTITY.THECASES INVOLVING IDENTITYIMPOSTERS KEEP PILING UP.WE HAVE SHOWN YOU HOW DROVETHREE -- DRUG DEALERS, A SEXOFFENDER, AND ALLEGED MURDERERBE THE SYSTEM.NOW WE HAVE DISCOVEREDA 62MILLION DOLLAR UPGRADE TO THESYSTEM WILL NOT STOP THEM FROMGETTING LICENSES.>> WE HAVE NEW TECHNOLOGY THATWILL PROVIDE BETTER SERVICE TOCUSTOMERS AND WILL HAVEADDITIONAL FRAUD PREVENTIONMECHANISMS IN PLACE.KAREN: THE CONTRACT WITH FASTENTERPRISES WILL VERIFY IDENTITIES AGAINST OTHERDATABASES.IT WILL ALSO ALLOW MASSACHUSETTSTO CHECK LICENSES AND OTHERSTATES TO ENSURE THAT ANIDENTITY IS NOT STOLEN.BUT SO FAR, ONLY 15 STATES AREON BOARD AND THE TERRITORY OFPUERTO RICO, GROUND ZERO FORMANY OF THESE STOLEN IDENTITIES,IS NOT INCLUDED.HOW KEY WOULD YOU SAYIT IS TOGET PUERTO RICO TO COME ON BOARDTO PREVENT THIS FRAUD?>> MASSACHUSETTS IS FOCUSED ONINTRODUCING 21ST CENTURYTECHNOLOGY TO THESE FOLKS AND WEARE HEARTENED THAT OTHERJURISDICTIONS ARE JOINING.KAREN: PUERTO RICO IS KEY, YESOR NO?>> EVERY JURISDICTION IS ABENEFIT TO THE ENTIRE NATIONALSYSTEM.>> HAVING PUERTO RICO AS PARTOFTHE SYSTEM THAT WE USE ISCRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OFSTOPPING THESE GUYS.KAREN: IN MOST CASES WE HAVESEEN THE PAST TWO YEARS HAVEINVOLVED STOLEN IDENTITIES FROMPUERTO RICO.ONE MAJOR PLUS OF THE NEW SYSTEMIS IT WILL RING MASSACHUSETTS INCOMPLIANCE WITH THE REAL ID ACT,

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The Registry of Motor Vehicles' new $62 million contract to overhaul its outdated computer system will check applicants for driver's licenses against immigration, passport, Social Security and other databases, but critics say it lacks a key safeguard against the most widespread identity fraud: a check against a database of identities from Puerto Rico, which is ground zero for many of the stolen identities in play in Massachusetts. "Having Puerto Rico as some part of some kind of system that we use is critical to the success of stopping these guys from doing this," said state Rep. Shaunna O'Connell, R-Taunton, who has spoken out about identity fraud and the RMV. The IT overhaul will make licenses issued by Massachusetts compliant with stricter regulations called for under the federal REAL ID act, which aims to make it harder for people to obtain driver's licenses under identities that are not their own. It's a problem that 5 Investigates' Kathy Curran has shown is widely known among law enforcement in Massachusetts who see how the so-called identity impostors use Massachusetts driver's licenses to use stolen identities, usually from Puerto Rico, to evade capture and prosecution and also sometimes to obtain public benefits. The cases uncovered by 5 Investigates include Fernando Puente-Alvares, which Fall River police say is the true name of a man living in that city for decades. He used two other aliases, including Jorge Garay, the identity under which he received MassHealth benefits and a state tobacco license for his convenience store and even voted. Fall River city records show he last voted in the Nov. 6, 2012 election. Court records show he was found guilty under various drug charges going back to 1989 under his other alias, Miguel Figueroa. Now he's facing drug and identity charges in Fall River District Court. Police say he was selling drugs out of his convenience store. "They're opening the door to all these taxpayer benefits, siphoning money out of the system for people that really are in need and they're posing dangers to our communities," O'Connell said. Other cases uncovered recently by 5 Investigates include a man facing murder charges for a 2010 stabbing death in Lawrence. He's charged as Juan Peguero, the name his former girlfriend said he was given when he was born in the Dominican Republic, but he had a Massachusetts driver's license under another name, Obed Medi. He was working at a Methuen yogurt plant under a different identity, Miguel Cordero, and had still other aliases. Last summer Massachusetts State Police put a convicted child molester who had failed to register as a sex offender on their list of top 10 most wanted sex offender fugitives. But officials now say that Caled Donatiu, the identity under which he had a driver's license, was convicted, served time and was charged with failing to register was an alias. O'Connell said Massachusetts should look at how the New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles cracked down on would-be impostors by training counter clerks to better spot identity fraud and then call police. "We need to be very aggressive so we're catching these guys," O'Connell said. Registrar Erin Deveney defended the RMV's contract, which was signed in October with Fast Enterprises. "We have new technology that's going to provide better service to our customers, and we'll have additional fraud prevention measures," she said. The new software to be implemented by Fast Enterprises will verify identities with passports, immigration and other databases. They are requirements to make the driver's license compliant with the REAL ID Act, a federal law that had its origins after the 9/11 terror attack, in which some of the terrorists obtained valid state identity cards in identities that were not their own. The contract also calls for Massachusetts to begin working with a voluntary program called State to State that allows participating states to share licensing data. So far only 15 states have signed onto the program. The territory of Puerto Rico is not part of it. "How key would you say it is to get Puerto Rico on board to prevent this fraud?" Curran asked Deveney. "Massachusetts is focused on making sure we introduce 21st century technology system and we're very much heartened by the fact that other jurisdictions are joining on board." Deveney said. "But is Puerto Rico key, yes or no?" Curran asked again. "Every jurisdiction that participates is a benefit to the entire national system and the states that rely upon information," Deveney said.