Corruption At The DMV: Manager Admits To Bribery Scheme

LOS ANGELES, CA — A fifth Los Angeles County DMV employee is facing prison time for accepting bribes to approve driver's licenses for people who didn't pass the driving test.

Forty-four-year-old Jovana T. Nettles, of Norwalk, pleaded guilty Monday to her role in the bribery scheme ensnaring employees at the Lincoln Park, Gardena and Torrance DMV offices. Nettles, a former manager of the DMV's Lincoln Park office, faces 20 years in prison when sentenced in August.

The federal investigation into the DMV bribery scheme remains ongoing, and documents related to the case remain under seal. The corruption probe casts a harsh spotlight on California's least popular agency.

For her part, Nettles admitted to a federal mail fraud charge and accepting cash bribes to illegally issue permits and driver's licenses to otherwise ineligible applicants. She also admitted to fraudulently entering passing scores for applicants without that person actually taking or passing the necessary tests, according to her plea agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court.

Though a DMV manager, Nettles was not the ringleader of the scheme, according to federal prosecutors. Prosecutors contend Antanacio Villegas, a former DMV license registration examiner in Torrance and Gardena, is the mastermind of the scheme. He is expected to plead guilty to a federal fraud charge on June 21.

Nettles "was part of a conspiracy involving corrupt DMV employees and brokers," prosecutors wrote in the plea agreement.

The scheme involved someone who would enter passing scores on the required tests and someone further up the chain who would enter the fraudulent information into the DMV database, the agreement states.

The DMV issued a statement tying fraud prevention efforts to the agency's customer service.

“Fraud prevention is one key component of customer service,” the statement said. “The DMV takes very seriously its responsibility to uphold the law as we serve our customers and we applaud our thousands of employees who work with integrity and pride.”

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.