FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  June 6, 2005
NEWS FROM: Director's Office     05-006

INFORMATION ON STOLEN DMV COMPUTER
NOT COMPROMISED

Thieves never got to the information on the computer hard drives stolen from the DMV’s Donovan Way office March 7, according to Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul Masto of the U.S. Secret Service Las Vegas Field Office.

“A forensic computer specialist who is a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service was able to determine that the computer hard drives had not been accessed,” Masto said. “Because of that, we can reasonably assume that the thieves were unable to get to the information that was on the hard drive.”

Almost three months ago, thieves crashed a vehicle into the doors of a DMV office in North Las Vegas and made off with a computer, supplies and equipment to manufacture driver’s licenses. On the computer was personal information on over 8,000 Nevada motorists.

Last Wednesday, operating on a tip, Las Vegas Metro police officers found all of the stolen equipment and supplies on the rooftop of a building under construction on the corner of Industrial and Warm Springs Roads.

After the break-in on March 7, the DMV issued new driver’s licenses or ID cards and worked with the country’s three major credit-reporting agencies to flag the credit records of those motorists whose information was on the stolen computer. The department also adopted internal security measures to ensure a similar theft could not happen.

“This is a happy ending to what could have been an incredible nightmare,” DMV Director Ginny Lewis said. “It was a hard lesson learned for the department and I’m pleased that no Nevada motorist had to pay the price.”

-- 30 --