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He admits bribing PennDOT examiners to issue fake licenses

An Irvington, N.J., man who operated a driving school pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to bribing Pennsylvania driver's license examiners to obtain phony licenses for his customers.

An Irvington, N.J., man who operated a driving school pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to bribing Pennsylvania driver's license examiners to obtain phony licenses for his customers.

Michel Lominy, 41, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Haiti, will be sentenced on July 14. He faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison.

Authorities said Lominy began paying bribes to a PennDOT driver's license examiner, Alexander Steele, in early 2009 in exchange for Steele issuing licenses to his customers even though they weren't Pennsylvania residents and hadn't passed a written test or driving exam.

Steele was charged in December with conspiracy and honest-services fraud. He pleaded not guilty and is free on bail while awaiting trial.

Lominy employed Pierre Jean-Louis as an interpreter, the government's plea memo said, but instead of acting as a translator, Jean-Louis helped Lominy's customers cheat on the written driver's test.

Most of Lominy's customers were from Africa or the Caribbean, the plea memo said.

Authorities said Lominy charged $1,600 to $2,000 for a state driver's license, and paid Steele $250 for each license and Jean-Louis $200 per test.

Lominy also paid bribes to another PennDOT driver's license examiner, Harold Palmer, in exchange for issuing licenses, the plea memo said. Palmer and Jean-Louis were arrested on March 15 and are free on bail.

Authorities said Lominy obtained more than 100 bogus driver's licenses for his customers.

In December and January, Lominy had conversations with a cooperating witness about his dealings with Steele and arranged to have the witness pass bribes to PennDOT employees in exchange for issuing phony licenses, the plea memo said.

At the time, Lominy was aware that Steele had been arrested, authorities said.

They also said that between Dec. 11 and Jan. 12, the witness and Lominy arranged for four to 10 of Lominy's customers to get driver's licenses in exchange for cash.

On Jan. 13, the plea memo said, Lominy brought four foreign nationals - all legal U.S. residents living in New York or New Jersey - to Philadelphia to get bogus driver's licenses.

Lominy paid the cooperating witness $1,200 cash in a jewelry bag, the plea memo said.

None of the four customers knew how to drive or was eligible for Pennsylvania driver's licenses.

Federal agents arrested Lominy after he supplied the cash to the cooperating witness, the plea memo said.