F.B.I. Says Arson Killed Woman Accused in License Scheme

New York Times ^ | Friday, February 15, 2002

[JohnHuang2]

February 15, 2002

F.B.I. Says Arson Killed Woman Accused in License Scheme

By REUTERS

EMPHIS, Feb. 14 — A deliberately set fire caused the death of a driver's license examiner who had been accused of illegally selling licenses to five Middle Eastern men who were being investigated for possible ties to terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has said.

Gasoline was poured on the clothing of the examiner, Katherine Smith, before she burned to death on Sunday in an automobile accident, J. Suzanne Nash, an F.B.I. agent, said on Wednesday.

Ms. Smith died one day before she was to have appeared in court with her five co-defendants after being arrested last week on charges of conspiracy to obtain driver's licenses illegally.

In a federal court hearing here on Wednesday, Ms. Nash said an accelerant had been found in Ms. Smith's car, adding that her death was "not an accident."

Investigators have said the gasoline tank of the automobile did not explode. Ms. Nash also said witnesses had reported that the interior of Ms. Smith's car was on fire before the vehicle struck a utility pole, causing just minor damage to the car.

Ms. Nash told the court on Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into whether the five men who were arrested had ties to terrorist groups, citing connections to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The five men, one of whom said he was a plumber at the trade center and had a visitor's pass to the towers dated Sept. 5, are being held without bond.

A lawyer for one of the defendants has denied that they had any connection to terrorism and said they were seeking documentation to work in the United States.

[honway]

Thanks for the ping. On an unrelated matter, Jackie Majors reportedly saw Mike Loudenslager alive after the OKC explosion, the official version is that he died in the blast. Jackie Majors died in a car accident very similar to Ms. Smith's accident less than one month before Terry Yeakey was murdered. This information is cause for me to reconsider Jackie's "accident".

[testforecho]

photo ping

Special Agent George Bolds IV, media coordinator for the FBI Memphis Office, inspects the trunk of a burned-out Acura, owned by Katherine Smith, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, in Memphis. Smith, a driver's license examiner, was scheduled to appear in federal court Monday on charges that she sold driver's licenses to five Middle Eastern men, primarily from New York, who did not have proper documentation. Her badly burned body was found in the car Sunday, after it struck a utility pole. (AP Photo/Greg Campbell)

[Lion's Cub]

Excellent point.

[testforecho]

Under the gaze of investigators, Katherine Smith's Acura rests at the FBI office. Arson caused the blazing wreck, officials believe.

Smith led low-impact life until arrest, fiery end

Mystery still shrouds her fiery death, and whether her fate was linked to a scam with violent, global implications.

But old acquaintances and state records obtained Thursday by The Commercial Appeal shed some light on driver's license examiner Katherine Smith.

Smith told investigators she and codefendant Khaled Odtllah were friends who met when she took her car to his Phillips 66 station, FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash testified Wednesday in a detention hearing for three of the codefendants.

The relationship was nothing more serious than their being friends, Nash added.

Smith was in the process of buying from Odtllah the 1992 Acura Legend in which she died. The car is still registered in Odtllah's name, Nash said.

Smith told the FBI agent that when Odtllah found out she was a driver's license examiner, he asked her if she could help get licenses for his "cousins."

After her arrest, Smith admitted helping Odtllah obtain driver's licenses six or seven times. Previously, the most severe reprimand Smith received in her state personnel file involved an accusation that she altered a document for an excused absence from work in 1990.

[weegee]

According to the brief article that accompanied the photo I posted here, a witness has said that the car was on fire before impact.

[Travis McGee]

There are lots of ways it could have been done.

A car in the next lane could have just edged over and tossed a big molotov coctail into an open window, or a gasoline bomb on a timer could have been placed in the car, the timer starts when the car is turned on. Or a timer could start when she put her weight on the seat with a pressure switch. (It would be instructive to know if she drove with open windows ever, and how long after she started the car it went off.) Or it could be set off by R/C from someone following her. And that's just a few ideas.

The point is, inside a moving car, a gallon of gasoline or acetone is just as deadly as C-4 or Semtex.

[Travis McGee]

"Among other details in this case, she had purchased the car from one of the defendents giving him the access to a duplicate key (to tamper with the car if necessary)."

Another coincidence I am sure. Those innocent "Religion of Peace" boys are just on a run of bad luck, like working in the WTC, and visiting it the week before 9-11.

[Travis McGee]

"Religion of Peace" bumpage.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping!

I have a few questions about this ladies personal history.

Was she just a petty crook in DMV who made extra money doing this.

Was she a black American who hated America/Americans because Thomas Jefferson may have had sexual relations with a female slave? If so was she a Black Muslim or a person who believe in their Anti American rhetoric?

Regardless, this should be a chilling warning to all Black Americans who hate America and love the Muslims. The Islamic terrorists have zero problem of clearing up any mess left behind in their deals!

Any crook working for any DMV who made money selling fake licenses to these people should immediately run to the FBI and demand protective custody. Their days on earth may be really short if they don't roll over and indentify the Islamic terrorists who got illegal licenses.

Just look at the two clowns caught near the Pentagon in the tow truck. They had about 100 licenses in their possession. Someone in the know made up those licenses and allowed these terrorists to get those illegal licenes. Those who enabled and abetted these terrorists have put their life in real peril!

[weegee]

I don't know where they will start looking. It seems like they are reluctantly having to cast a wider net.

I say reluctantly because there are a number of odd circumstances about this case:
2 of the men admit to being in NYC on or before Sept 11th, one of them working as a plumber on the sprinker system in the WTC just days before the attack
These were new IDs, I think that I had read that they had obtained other IDs before
All of the men were in custody when she was killed which means that someone else is involved - at least now
She had purchased the car from one of the men
This story isn't making a big fuss nationally (even Drudge isn't carrying this article). I don't know why this is. It reflects badly on (state) government that someone was selling falsified (but official) licenses. The FBI had a missing person (microbiologist) who turned up dead in Memphis after stopping his car on a bridge - the original story of suicide was dropped to say that he fell off the bridge by accident (engine running, no emergency lights, door open). There may still be more to that story, or there may not be.

Who's the suspect now? I don't know, she may have done this before and it could be a past customer who didn't want to get caught. Doubtful, but it could have even been a vigilante getting revenge.

We had speculated that this was a murder from the initial report, here we are at the end of the week and all we know is that our suspicions were confirmed. The FBI may have had these answers on the first day but the news is slowly trickling out on this case.

As I said, there is a witness (who I had not read about elsewhere) who saw the car interior on fire before the car came to a stop. The tv report said that there were no skid marks and mininal impact damage to the car. Suicide was floated out early.

It sounds like even in Tennessee that this story isn't necessarily front page news. This may not be a "breaking news" item, but think that it should be on the sidebar since it is a continuing news story.

[weegee]

...on charges that she sold driver's licenses to five Middle Eastern men, primarily from New York, who did not have proper documentation

It's a long way from NYC to Memphis. Certainly there are crooked people in NYC that could provide falsified information that they could have used to obtain local IDs.

The claim was made that they were obtaining IDs for employment purposes. Who lets a driver use an out of state license for long term employment?

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this. It sure answers one of my questions in a reply in this thread.

It is obvious that Mrs Smith was a friend of one of the murdering Islamics.

Thanks for the great find and post:

Smith told investigators she and codefendant Khaled Odtllah were friends who met when she took her car to his Phillips 66 station, FBI agent J. Suzanne Nash testified Wednesday in a detention hearing for three of the codefendants.

The relationship was nothing more serious than their being friends, Nash added.

Smith was in the process of buying from Odtllah the 1992 Acura Legend in which she died. The car is still registered in Odtllah's name, Nash said.(It is obvious that these murdering Islamic Terrorist were not the a team. They killed their abettor while she was driving their ring leaders 1992 Acura!)

Smith told the FBI agent that when Odtllah found out she was a driver's license examiner, he asked her if she could help get licenses for his "cousins."

After her arrest, Smith admitted helping Odtllah obtain driver's licenses six or seven times. Previously, the most severe reprimand Smith received in her state personnel file involved an accusation that she altered a document for an excused absence from work in 1990.

This should be a big warning to all who hate America and are willing to help obvious Islamic terrorists to operate in America. You could might just end up as one of the victims like the victims of 9/11 as Ms Smith did!

[weegee]

Those who enabled and abetted these terrorists have put their life in real peril!

What's more, there are people doing these acts (making fraudulent IDs) for Middle Easterners even after the 9/11 attacks. Certainly these workers put money in their pocket (at not much silver at that) ahead of their job security and national security. Maybe they see it as a way to get back at the DMV for a job promotion or raise they felt denied (disgruntled employees).

[PatrioticAmerican]

And our politicians want to use DL as a national ID system???

[weegee]

It is obvious that these murdering Islamic Terrorist were not the a team. They killed their abettor while she was driving their ring leaders 1992 Acura!

I think that he sold a number of cars (maybe on the lot of one of his gas stations).

What will be interesting is to see if he can claim insurance on this car fire (since arson has been established). He may have had the car insured (if he drove it as his own car for awhile).

[blam]

What American in his right mind would help 'mid-easterners' get fraudlent documents after 911?

[Grampa Dave]

Yeah, that ran through my mind while scanning this thread.

Did this stupid B$tch sell these phoney licenses after 9/11? If so she and those who helped her are guilty of treason against American and have placed the rest of us in danger!

Anyone who is indicted, tried and found guilty of selling phoney licenses to these Islamic Terrorist Bastards should go to jail for the rest of their life. Then if an American is harmed or killed by any terrorist who got a false, license. These bastards should be tried for murder if someone is killed or for terrorist assualt if someone is injured by anyone who bought these licenses.

[Travis McGee]

They need to let these 5 arabs "escape custody". Perhaps a prison van can be left overturned on the highway.

Then these 5 get new quarters on a closed forgotten former military base where pros from the Philippines, Israel and Turkey get to take turns working them over.

When every factoid has been removed from them, put them through a tree chipper, and dump the chum in the ocean

[Trident/Delta]

Hi John, I have a question. I have seen Freeper statements alluding to it, but, was she black??? I have a semi-functional theory about the grand scheme of things but I am not quite ready to post it and initiate a flame war. If you could let me know if the media has mentioned this I would appreciate it.

Semper Fi

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Who lets a driver use an out of state license for long term employment?

Two things jump to mind.

Once you get a drivers license in one state you become 99% clean in every state when it comes to filling out paperwork getting other IDs etc..

And if you have an ID/DL you can get a credit card and then you have total freedom of movement in this country. Rental cars, hotel reservations, and plane tickets are all at your fingertips via the web and on the phone.