A former Kentucky clerk says she was fired after exposing a scheme where co-workers allegedly sold driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants for $200 each.
Melissa Moorman, who worked at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Department of Vehicle Regulation, reported in late 2024 that co-workers were selling licenses “under the table” without proper immigration screenings or testing.
According to her account, employees allegedly issued four to five fraudulent licenses per day for more than two years.
Moorman says her supervisors failed to act, and instead, her own login credentials were later misused to issue licenses when she wasn’t even at work. While the employees directly involved were terminated, Moorman was dismissed in January 2025.
“I did the right thing. I told the truth. I should not have been fired,” Moorman told WDRB News.
In April, she filed a lawsuit under the Kentucky Whistleblower Act, alleging wrongful termination and seeking reinstatement, back pay, and damages.
Her attorney, Garry Adams, argues that Moorman’s disclosure uncovered a scheme that endangered public safety and that she should have been commended, not punished.
The KYTC acknowledged irregularities and confirmed nearly 2,000 licenses had been revoked, but said the case remains part of an ongoing criminal investigation involving state and federal agencies.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman called the reports “troubling and unacceptable,” noting his office has been working with federal partners on the case.
