SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A court in the Dominican Republic on Thursday sentenced nine suspects for helping erase criminal records of thousands of people, including convicted rapists and hitmen, to between six and 10 years in prison.

The group, which includes a former prosecutor, had pleaded guilty. The suspects had help from government employees in erasing the criminal records, authorities said. Charges were dismissed against three other suspects.

Judge Keyla Pérez Santana said the suspects would change certain numbers on people’s IDs to avoid having their criminal history pop up.

“With that alteration, they would simply no longer appear in the system,” she said during the sentencing.

The scheme began in 2017 and involved the ex-prosecutor, former police officers, emplo

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