News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  October 22, 2007
NEWS FROM: Compliance Enforcement Division     07-008

DMV Arrests Business Owner on Forgery Charges

A Las Vegas man who owns a local vehicle registration service was arrested Friday on a felony forgery charge related to a bogus receipt for a Department of Motor Vehicles transaction.

Luis Fernando Villagran-Quiroa, 29, was arrested at his business, Nevada 1st DMV Services at 5200 Vegas Dr. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one charge of Forgery. Bail was set at $4,000. If convicted, Villagran-Quiroa faces one to four years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

Investigators from the DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division say Villagran-Quiora admitted he issued a false receipt to one of his customers, Raul Fernandez, in June 2006. Fernandez paid Villagran-Quiroa $250 to reinstate his vehicle registration, which had been suspended for a lapse in insurance coverage. Returning the next day, Fernandez received a forged DMV receipt complete with a department transaction number and technician identification number.

About one year later, in June, 2007, Fernandez was denied a vehicle registration renewal because of the insurance suspension. Fernandez produced the bogus receipt, which was taken from him and turned over to Compliance Enforcement Division investigators. Fernandez had been driving on a suspended vehicle registration for the entire period.

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