[Shermy]

Ping.

[lsee]

I wonder if similar crimes will carry more severe penalties in the future if they are shown to aid terrorists? Wouldn't this be a form of treason?

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks Shermy for this find and posting it.

It appears that 3 and maybe 4 Jihaders in America may be heading down the lonely road to justice.

[aristeides]

If Sakher Hammad's cousin is also named Hammad, how can Sakher Hammad be the son of Peter Hansen? Adoption?

[Cold Heat]

It is a shame they could not get the evidence needed to procecute them for murder as well. That woman was killed by these people for sure!

[livius]

This is too strange. I assume they pleaded guilty thinking that they would avoid further investigation into things like the death of the corrupt Dept. of Motor Vehicles employee, the reason they were getting these falsified licenses in the first place, the relationship between "Peter Hansen" and his "son"...? etc.

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.

[LurkedLongEnough]

The TN license "scandal" has been fascinating to follow. I dobut these lawbreakers could ever be traced to terrorists, so they will probably go free to help their buddies carry out further atrocities.

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.

The body was burned beyond recognition but police suspected it was Hurley, whose car was still in the strip mall's parking lot.

Separately--from the Connecticut State Department of Motor Vehicles web site:

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.

[weegee]

Thanks for the continued pings. I seem to stay on the internet too much these days and don't need to further extend myself seeking "new" articles off of FR...

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"?

[honway]

According to the FEMA report, the WTC Towers collapsed because the sprinkler systems were disabled, not from the crash of the airplanes. The Hammad cousins were working on the sprinkler systems days before 9-11. Therefore, in my opinion, the terrorist Hammad cousins are responsible for more deaths on 9-11 than all the hijackers combined. Americans are fighting and dying in Afghanistan in a war on terrorism and these terrorists responsible for the destruction on 9-11 will walk and live in America to attack again. I would expect this from a Clinton Administration, but this is from a Bush Administration.
I am done.

[weegee]

It's been over a year. Any word on the Katherine Smith murder case?

I checked google's news search (don't know how far back it goes) and found nothing when I included "Tennessee" in the search.

All of the google web searches appear to tie closely to the original incident (early last year).