Saverio Careri is the New York pizza delivery driver whose license was suspended after someone stole his identity and began racking up traffic citations which went unpaid. Although Careri immediately notified the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles his license was suspended and remained suspended for more than a year as he tried to work within the law to get it reinstated.

This week Careri finally had his license reinstated for good after the New York Daily News launched a massive effort to petition redress of his grievances. The New York Daily News reporters first did a careful search if Careri’s case to ensure that he was being truthful about what happened and his complete lack of involvement in any of the citations racked up under his stolen identity. Once they concluded he was being honest about what happened they began contacting the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office and the state Dept. of Motor Vehicles to get some action on his behalf.

After weeks of this work by the New York Daily News Careri finally has his license back.

If you believe your license has been lost or stolen, or that someone might be using your identity, be certain you address the issue right away with your local department of motor vehicles. In Careri’s case he did finally get his license back, but only after much frustration and more than a year of having his license suspended. Plus, you might not be lucky enough to have a team of journalists on your side to help you convince the system that you are not responsible for what someone else did with your identity.