Posted on 05/20/2002 4:00:34 PM PDT by Shermy
MEMPHIS, Tenn.- Three of four men charged in a Tennessee driver's license fraud case pleaded guilty Monday in federal court.
Mostafa Said Abou-Shahin, Khaled Odtllah and Sakher A. Hammad each admitted before U.S. District Court Judge Bernice Donald that they tried to obtain the licenses illegally.
The fourth defendant, Abdelmuhsen Mahmid Hammad, was to appear in court Monday afternoon.
Each of the four men, three from New York City and one from the Memphis suburb of Cordova, had ties to the Middle East.
The men were charged with operating a scam in which driver's license examiner Katherine Smith would provide driver's licenses for a fee to New Yorkers brought to Shelby County by Odtllah, of Cordova.
The FBI investigated whether Smith's co-defendants were linked to terrorists. But Donald said in April there was no evidence in the record to support the men had connections to Sept. 11 or ties to the World Trade Center bombing.
Prosecutor Tim DiScenza also said Monday that there was "no proof of any terrorist activity."
Smith died in suspicious circumstances Feb. 10, the day before a preliminary court appearance. The 49-year-old Memphis woman was alone early that Sunday morning, driving a car registered to Odtllah. The car veered off U.S. 72 in Fayette County and hit a utility pole, then burst into flames.
After almost a monthlong investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol determined that Smith's death was not caused by the wreck, but by "other means." No one has been charged in her death, which wasn't mentioned in court Monday.
Sentencing for the men is scheduled for June 27. Prosecutors have recommended the low end of the scale in federal sentencing, which is a maximum of five years and a minimum of zero.
A fifth defendant, Mohammed A. Fares, pleaded guilty earlier this month.
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Earlier story today...
1st of 4 trials in driver's license procurement case starts today
The first of four trials of men charged in a Tennessee driver's license fraud case that has drawn national attention begins today in federal court, three months after the mysterious death of a key defendant in a fiery car crash.
Each of the four men, three from New York City, one from Cordova and all with ties to the Middle East, is charged with one count of conspiracy to fraudulently obtain driver's licenses.
Mostafa Said Abou-Shahin, Khaled Odtllah, Sakher A. Hammad and his cousin, Abdelmuhsen Mahmid Hammad, will be tried separately over the next two weeks before U.S. Dist. Court Judge Bernice Donald.
The trial of Abou-Shahin begins today. His attorney, Clifton Harviel, will ask Donald to waive a jury trial and decide his guilt or innocence on her own.
"We just thought in the current world situation, shall we say, that a professional jurist might give us a better shake than a local jury," Harviel said.
Federal prosecutor Tim DiScenza has agreed to the waiver. If the waiver is granted, Harviel estimated the trial would take a day.
A fifth defendant, Mohammed A. Fares, pleaded guilty earlier this month and is expected to testify for the government at some or all of the trials.
Also charged was driver's license examiner Katherine Smith. But Smith died under suspicious circumstances Feb. 10, the day before a preliminary court appearance.
The 49-year-old Memphis woman was alone early that Sunday morning, driving a 1992 Acura Legend registered to Odtllah.
The car veered off U.S. 72 in Fayette County and hit a utility pole. Witnesses said intense flames prevented them from reaching the unresponsive driver.
After almost a month-long investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol determined that Smith's death was caused not by the wreck, but by "other means."
No one has been charged in her death.
Four of the fraud case defendants have been held without bond since their arrests on Feb. 5. Smith was released on her own recognizance the next day.
DiScenza cited the "most unusual and suspicious" nature of Smith's death, as well as "connections" to the World Trade Center, as reasons to deny bond.
When Sakher A. Hammad was arrested, he had in his possession a visitor's identification card that gave him access to the building just a few days before the terrorist attacks.
Hammad, a plumber, told federal authorities he was working on the sprinklers, according to court testimony.
DiScenza dropped government objections to a release on bond after Hammad's father, Peter Hansen, put up his Staten Island home as security for a $250,000 bond.
Hansen, a senior engineer for the City of New York, testified at the March hearing that his son was "born again" when he came legally to the U.S. from Jordan.
"America is our country," Hansen said as his son wept. "We are a very dedicated family. We love work . . . We would never think to do harm to anyone."
But DiScenza urged the judge not to grant bond to the others.
When Donald upheld detention without bond for the other four, she called them flight risks because of their immigration status or substantial connections through family to other countries, where they might flee if released.
She noted that Odtllah, the alleged leader of the fraud scheme, has a wife and family in Jerusalem.
But the judge said in her ruling there was no evidence to support "these potentially inflammatory assertions" about connections to Sept. 11.
Here's how prosecutors allege the scheme worked:
Odtllah, who has been living in Cordova for two years, offered Tennessee driver's licenses to illegal immigrants for a fee of around $1,000 each. The Hammads, both self-employed plumbers in Brooklyn, acted as middlemen, finding the clients and bringing them to Memphis, where Smith would issue them licenses.
In early February, the Hammads allegedly drove co-defendants Fares and Abou-Shahin and a juvenile to Memphis from New York City to get four driver's licenses - one in Fares's name and three in names that prosecutors have said appear to be aliases.
But a confidential informant had tipped a New York FBI agent about the Memphis trip. On Feb. 5, FBI agents and Tennessee Highway Patrol investigators were watching as Odtllah met the group from New York outside the testing station.
Sakher Hammad was also in town to get a second Tennessee driver's license. He and his cousin already had Tennessee licenses using the same Morning Lake Drive address of the apartment complex where Odtllah lived.
According to the FBI, Odtllah went inside the testing station and came back out with four applications. Odtllah had the others fill in the names and dates of birth; then he filled in the Morning Lake Drive address.
Odtllah then took the completed applications to Smith, who entered them into the state's computer system, according to the FBI.
The men were not issued driver's licenses that morning because the camera at the Summer Avenue testing station was broken. Odtllah was the only one of the group who met with Smith.
All six adults were arrested that day. The juvenile was not charged.
That is the case the prosecution is expected to make, based on an FBI affidavit and the testimony of FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash at two hearings. But it doesn't begin to explain Smith's death.
Nash testified that the fire that consumed the interior of Smith's car was set deliberately. Traces of gasoline were found on the victim's clothing and in the car, she said.
Harviel said last week that the trial of Abou-Shahin, 27, a carpenter from Egypt, will focus exclusively on the conspiracy charge and won't involve any revelations about Smith's death or alleged ties to terrorism.
It appears that 3 and maybe 4 Jihaders in America may be heading down the lonely road to justice.
Here's an example of massive fraud in New Jersey:
Here's an article from May 18:
Illegal) Immigrant license law lacks support
Legislation allowing illegal immigrants to obtain a one-year Tennessee driver's license, instead of the full-term license they have been able to get for the past year, is in trouble in the House and may be dead for this legislative session.
The bill had been scheduled for a House vote Wednesday, but its sponsor, Rep. Mark Maddox, postponed action for a week. Maddox said in an interview yesterday that he did so because he did not think it had sufficient votes to pass, even though it earlier cleared the Senate in a 31-0 vote.
Maddox's legislation provides that an applicant who does not have a Social Security number or who cannot provide acceptable Immigration and Naturalization Service documentation can receive the special one-year license. A regular driver's license is good for five years.
The one-year license would be stamped with the words ''For driving purposes only.''
The bill was seen as a compromise between those who want to deny any driving privileges to unauthorized immigrants and those who say immigrants are going to drive anyway so they need to know the rules of the road and have the opportunity to purchase insurance.
A state law that took effect May 3, 2001, allowed people without Social Security cards to obtain licenses. The change prompted immigrants — legal and illegal, many of them Hispanic — to flock to testing stations to apply, resulting in long lines and short tempers.
The situation improved in June when the state Safety Department hired 43 bilingual examiners and took other steps to speed the process. But some lawmakers want to reinstate the Social Security card requirement and otherwise tighten restrictions on who can receive a license.
Some of those opposing Maddox's bill are ''people who want us to close the borders and make sure everybody is free, white and 21 before they come to the states,'' he said. Maddox, D-Dresden, said he and others were working on amendments to try to save the legislation.
''The prevailing mood in the House was last year we were told the bill that passed would not give illegal immigrants the ability to get a driver's license,'' Maddox said. ''In fact, that was not the case.
''My colleagues feel like this bill may be clearer in that regard in that it most definitely will give illegal immigrants an opportunity to obtain a driver's license. The majority of them do not feel this is what we should do.''
Rep. Donna Rowland, R-Murfreesboro, said the Maddox bill was a step in the right direction but did not go far enough.
''We have had plenty of time and ample opportunity — and especially in light of all the national incidents that have happened in the last year — that we should address this issue in its entirety,'' said Rowland, who has campaigned for stricter controls on driver's licenses for immigrants.
Backers of the legislation say illegal immigrants will drive with or without licenses, so they need to know the rules of the road. {Note - this is the standard big trucking lobbyist line. It's untrue. The illegals can have International Licenses that permit them to drive. But showing this license is not enough to get transporation work.)
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JDGreen123
How about getting your talk show friend to talk about this. I mean, is there any question what to do? No illegals.
I assume they're wrong, and now that they're tucked away for a few years, there will be ample time to find the answers to all of these questions.
Interestingly, the burned body of a man 40 years old was found earlier this month in Wethersfield, Connecticut, home of the central office of the CT DMV. As of May 3, 2002, this story came out:
Police identify burning body found near Wethersfield (Connecticut) Dumpster
Hurley was a part time employee at Steve's Price Cutter Liquors. He worked at the state Department of Information Technology.Separately--from the Connecticut State Department of Motor Vehicles web site:The body was burned beyond recognition but police suspected it was Hurley, whose car was still in the strip mall's parking lot.
Manufacturer's License
Initial Issue a license to a manufacturer or distributor of motor vehicles who sells products in Connecticut. Note: Only done in Wethersfield DMV office.Renewal - Re-issue a license to a manufacturer or distributor of motor vehicles who sells products in Connecticut. Note: Only done in Wethersfield DMV office.
Duplicate - Make a copy or duplicate of a license to a manufacturer or distributor of motor vehicles who sells products in Connecticut. Note: Only done in Wethersfield DMV office.
Modification - Make a change or modification of a license of a manufacturer or distributor of motor vehicles who sells products in Connecticut. Note: Only done in Wethersfield DMV office.
These guys will not see 6 months if that behind bars. Take that and a Memphis {Liberal} trial and they won't see much. The prosicutors as well need to be fired for recommending the lowest possible sentence. The very fact this occured just shows the rest of the nation that a stupid bunch of hicks are running the Tennessee Leglislature for a law to allow illegals to drive in the first place. This is the most corrupt times in Tennessee government since Ray Blanton.
Without a doubt! Sounds like a bunch of bad guys. I am sure the Feds are on it. At least I hope so. If I lived in that area and knew any of these people, I would be concerned.
I did find a very interesting bit of news in this article though that confirms my original suspicions. This has details (but doesn't draw deliberate attention to them) that the men were not just seeking a license for driving the company van around. Follow:
When Sakher A. Hammad was arrested, he had in his possession a visitor's identification card that gave him access to the building just a few days before the terrorist attacks.Hammad, a plumber, told federal authorities he was working on the sprinklers, according to court testimony.
DiScenza dropped government objections to a release on bond after Hammad's father, Peter Hansen, put up his Staten Island home as security for a $250,000 bond.
Hansen, a senior engineer for the City of New York, testified at the March hearing that his son was "born again" when he came legally to the U.S. from Jordan.
"America is our country," Hansen said as his son wept. "We are a very dedicated family. We love work . . . We would never think to do harm to anyone."
But DiScenza urged the judge not to grant bond to the others.
When Donald upheld detention without bond for the other four, she called them flight risks because of their immigration status or substantial connections through family to other countries, where they might flee if released.
She noted that Odtllah, the alleged leader of the fraud scheme, has a wife and family in Jerusalem.
But the judge said in her ruling there was no evidence to support "these potentially inflammatory assertions" about connections to Sept. 11.
Here's how prosecutors allege the scheme worked:
Odtllah, who has been living in Cordova for two years, offered Tennessee driver's licenses to illegal immigrants for a fee of around $1,000 each. The Hammads, both self-employed plumbers in Brooklyn, acted as middlemen, finding the clients and bringing them to Memphis, where Smith would issue them licenses.
In early February, the Hammads allegedly drove co-defendants Fares and Abou-Shahin and a juvenile to Memphis from New York City to get four driver's licenses - one in Fares's name and three in names that prosecutors have said appear to be aliases.
[snip].
Sakher Hammad was also in town to get a second Tennessee driver's license. He and his cousin already had Tennessee licenses using the same Morning Lake Drive address of the apartment complex where Odtllah lived.
The plumber's defense has been that he needed a license to work. I'd think that the company would want a local license if the employee is to be trusted with the company van. The plumber also already had a license and was pocketing another (identity).
The family seems to be pretty well off ($250,000 home). So why didn't he just apply for citizenship if this is his "home"?
It's a big scam to give jobs to illegals, and taking them away from Americans. Because it's profitable.
Self-employed? And working in the WTC? Very suspicious.
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