A former employee at the El Cajon office of the state Department of Motor Vehicles was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison for accepting money to falsify the results of driving examinations.
Jeffrey Bednarek became the 30th of 31 defendants in the federal case to enter guilty pleas and be sentenced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Bednarek, 54, pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit bribery and produce unauthorized identification documents, bribery and witness tampering.
Prosecutors said that before his scheduled trial, Bednarek tried to persuade a witness to change his testimony. He ended up entering guilty pleas.
U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo told Bednarek that he “had to know it was wrong,” and that he violated the public trust.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Orabona told the judge that Bednarek processed a fraudulent driver’s license for an undercover agent, handed the temporary document to him, made the sign of the cross and told him to “sin no more.”
Bednarek admitted that he was part of the conspiracy for three years, beginning in April 2009. The defendant conceded that he processed more than 100 fraudulent licenses and permits, and made more than $50,000 in bribes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The other defendants were given sentences ranging from probation and fines to nearly 600 days in prison.
— City News Service
