The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has engaged in a license fraud scheme that allowed illegal immigrants to secretly obtain driver’s licenses, according to a whistleblower.
Melissa Moorman, a former KYTC employee, filed a lawsuit against the agency and Quantum Solutions LLC after she was terminated in January 2025 for bringing the alleged scheme to light.
The operation allegedly involved two KYTC employees named Aariel Matthews and Donnita Wilson, who were “creating and providing documents such as driver’s licenses and permits to nonresidents without running the proper screenings concerning immigration status,” the lawsuit reads.
The employees were allegedly “collecting the money that was supposed to be for the screenings and pocketing it” in a cash-for-licenses scheme.
Kent Sparks, Moorman’s supervisor, allegedly instructed her to share her login credentials with new hires—credentials that were later misused by the two employees. She says she was invited to be a part of the scheme, but refused and reported it to Sparks and later to federal investigators, which prompted an investigation.
Employees at the Transportation Cabinet sold driver’s licenses to illegal aliens under the table, according to a whistleblower.
— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronKY) August 12, 2025
There’s no excuse for this. People need to be held accountable for this blatant violation of our immigration laws. pic.twitter.com/LuthJxQFta
Even though Moorman cooperated with investigators and provided evidence that she was not working when her credentials were used, Quantum Solutions, the staffing agency that provides workers for the KYTC, fired her on the same day she met with the authorities.
“KYTC participated in terminating Moorman’s employment after Moorman engaged in activities protected under the Kentucky Whistleblower Act,” the complaint explains. Yet Sparks is still employed. Moorman contends that her firing was retaliatory and illegal under state whistleblower laws and Kentucky’s public policy protections.
Moorman is seeking “reinstatement as an employee, the payment of her back wages, full reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority rights,” along with compensatory and punitive damages.
Kentucky State Rep. Savannah Maddox responded to reports of the lawsuit in a post on X in which she explained, “illegal immigrants purportedly purchased icenses for $200 a pop through under-the-table payments.”
The lawmaker further pointed out that the shift from county-level control to a centralized regional model enabled this fraud. The current situation has created “overburdened facilities, anonymous bureaucracies ripe for exploitation” and chastised the REAL ID rollout as “a complete debacle.”
Maddox vowed to file legislation on the first day of the next legislative session to return licensing authority to local clerks.
I am deeply troubled by fraud allegations that have surfaced in Kentucky's driver's license program, where illegal immigrants purportedly purchased licenses for $200 a pop through under-the-table payments.
— Savannah Maddox (@SavannahLMaddox) August 13, 2025
If this is as broad-reaching as it seems, it isn't just a bureaucratic… pic.twitter.com/cI7g1le8kW
Senate Transportation Chair Jimmy Higdon called for an immediate investigation, according to Fox 56.
“If these reports are accurate, this is fundamentally wrong on every level. It’s not just a breakdown in oversight but a betrayal of public trust,” Higdon said in a written statement. “The people of Kentucky deserve to know how widespread this revelation is, who allowed it, and what steps will be taken to prevent it in the future. I appreciate the press for bringing this story forward and to the attention of the public.”