Kentucky State Seal

OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR








*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*




*Contact:  *

 

*Scottie Ellis
502-401-6933*
"[email protected]" <[email protected]>






Gov. Beshear: KYTC Enhances Protections Against Licensing Fraud; Cabinet Collaboration and KSP Investigation Lead to 5 Indictments

   

*FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 10, 2026) *– Today, Gov. Andy Beshear shared that five individuals have been indicted on federal charges following a state and federal investigation into licensing fraud in Kentucky. The Governor stated that the criminal actions were limited to two drivers licensing offices where Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) officials noticed irregularities and immediately notified law enforcement. The indictment does not involve issuing licenses to people illegally present in the country.

“The integrity of this investigation and licensing has been the priority for me and my administration, which is why we committed to law enforcement that we would not make public comments until all the facts were available,” said Gov. Beshear.

A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an indictment [ chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/www.justice.gov/d9/2026-02/Indictment%20Wilson%2C%20et%20al%203-26-CR-00017-CHB_1.pdf ] on Feb. 4 charging five Louisville residents with fraud and money laundering offences. The indictment alleges the defendants were offering non-U.S. citizens who were in the country legally but had not yet demonstrated their ability to drive on the road an expedited process for a fee. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, these individuals betrayed the trust of KYTC for their own financial gain.

“Proper vetting of individuals seeking a driver’s license is a prerequisite to ensuring the safety of Kentucky’s roadways and ensuring the legitimacy of state-issued identification. As alleged in the indictment, this fraudulent scheme involved kickbacks and bribes leading to numerous legally present, non-U.S. citizens obtaining unlawfully issued drivers licenses,” U.S. Attorney Kyle Bumgarner stated.

During a routine review of credentials applications, KYTC officials identified a number of irregularities and revoked 1,985 credentials. KYTC immediately contacted law enforcement, which began an active criminal investigation.

The criminal investigation involved numerous state and federal agencies, including Kentucky State Police (KSP), the Kentucky Attorney General, U.S. Attorneys and others. KYTC provided all requested information to law enforcement, and KSP served the warrants.

Other states across the country have experienced licensing fraud. KYTC has taken swift and proactive action to protect against future criminal activity in the commonwealth. Steps include enhanced fraud training; cross-state tracking of credential issuance; weekly briefings between cabinet leadership and fraud section supervisors; the development of a reporting procedure with KSP and other law enforcement; new supervisory requirements; and more.

Gov. Beshear also appointed [ [link removed] ] Jeremy Slinker to deputy secretary for KYTC to improve processes at Driver Licensing Regional Offices. Slinker previously served as Operations Division Director for KSP, Director of Kentucky’s Emergency Management and was a senior leader at FEMA.

“There’s been significant progress made in driver licensing processes, but we can always do better, and I’m dedicated to continuously improving,” said *Slinker*. “We are committed to protecting Kentucky licensing and we will take every step possible to ensure future criminal activity does not happen here.”

According to the release from the Western District of Kentucky, several defendants were arraigned Monday, Feb. 9, and if convicted, face a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count of mail fraud, mail fraud conspiracy, honest services mail fraud and money laundering and a maximum sentence of 15 years for each count of unlawful production of identification documents.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of law enforcement and state and federal offices, we now have the facts when it comes to this case and we are ready to hold those who violated the law responsible,” said *Gov. Beshear*.

For the full release from the Western District of Kentucky, click here [ [link removed] ].

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