Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Brazilian national residing unlawfully in Danbury, Connecticut, has pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to obtain driver's licenses for individuals not eligible to receive them. Helbert Costa Generoso, aged 41, admitted guilt to charges of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and possess identification documents with the intent to transfer them and furnishing a false passport for use. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman has scheduled his sentencing for October 2, 2025.
Costa Generoso was charged alongside four co-conspirators in December 2024. The scheme involved fraudulently obtaining driver's licenses for illegal aliens residing in states where they were not permitted to do so. From November 2020 through September 2024, the group allegedly charged approximately $1,400 per customer for these services.
In New York, applicants had to pass a written permit test and complete driver’s education coursework from a New York driving school before obtaining a license. To circumvent this requirement, the conspirators allegedly uploaded pre-taken photos of customers during online tests and forged completion certificates from driving schools.
The group also facilitated the fraudulent acquisition of Massachusetts driver's licenses after July 2023 when state laws changed regarding eligibility. They allegedly applied similar methods as those used in New York and managed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars by obtaining over 600 licenses out of more than 1,000 applications.
Costa Generoso is the second defendant in this case to plead guilty while three others await trial having pleaded not guilty. The charges against Costa Generoso carry potential sentences including up to five years imprisonment for conspiracy and up to ten years for furnishing false passports.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley along with Michael J. Krol from Homeland Security Investigations and Kelly Larco-Ward from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Boston Division. Several law enforcement agencies contributed valuable assistance including the NY DMV Division of Field Investigation and police departments from Boston, Danbury, and Waterbury.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea is prosecuting the case which remains pending until proven otherwise beyond reasonable doubt.
