PORTLAND (AP) – A 64-year-old Portland man pleaded guilty Friday to 11 counts of transporting illegal immigrants from Massachusetts to Maine to help them obtain driver’s licenses.

Carlos Da Silva, a native of Brazil who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1976, was paid to shepherd more than 25 illegal immigrants through the process of getting a license, prosecutors said.

Da Silva was accused of conspiring with Guilherme Malaquias, a Brazilian who was illegally in the U.S. Malaquias has pleaded guilty, served his sentence and been deported.

Prosecutors said Da Silva’s involvement included helping illegal immigrants get a mailbox to use as a Maine residence on their license applications and for correspondence with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

The case was similar to that of a Brazilian living in New Jersey who was arrested at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Augusta after he allegedly brought two women to Maine to get driver’s licenses.

According to court records, Anderson Dos Santos, 30, told officials that Maine is known among Brazilians for having lax rules for issuing licenses.

News that Maine was gaining a reputation as an easy place for out-of-staters or illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses played into legislative debate over tightening restrictions.

Last April, the first of two laws to tighten regulations for getting a driver’s license went into effect, requiring proof of Maine residency with a tax form, pay stub, utility bill or other documentation.

In November, the second law went into effect requiring motorists to prove they’re living in the country legally to obtain or renew a license.

The new driver’s license requirements came about after negotiations between the governor’s office and the Department of Homeland Security averted a high-profile showdown over the Real ID Act, an anti-terrorism law supported by the Bush administration.

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