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Note: The following text is a quote: Eighteen Charged Following Multi-Year Fraud Investigation Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury returned a 23-count indictment charging 18 defendants with violating federal laws following a multi-year investigation into fraud relating to identification documents. Named in the Indictment are the following individuals: Vitaly Fedorchuk, 30 , of Parma, OH; Pavlo Mostranskyy aka Pasha, 45, of North Royalton, OH Sonya Hilaszek, 45, of Cleveland, OH Azamjon Asadov, 34, of Cincinnati, OH; Martynas Bojarcius, 29, of Palatine, IL; Jaroslav Wladyka aka Bohdan Borsuk,...

Well, the day finally came for me to actually be a first-hand witness of why knowing and understanding English is so vitally important when one gets a driver's license. My Florida license expires next month and I will be on tour so renewing it in Florida will be impossible. So I decided to finally get a Tennessee license although I still claim Florida as my legal domicile. I gathered my official documents as required by the state of Tennessee for anyone getting a TN license for the first time. It was a busy day at the DMV (when isn't it...

Opposition is growing to legislation that would weaken some of the restrictions to the Real ID act, a law that resulted from a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission to prevent identification fraud. The PASS ID bill, which is supported by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, eliminates security measures included in the Real ID Act, which required verification of birth certificates, Social Security numbers and immigration status before someone could get a driver's license that could be used as an identification card for federal purposes such as boarding an airplane. The purposed of the REAL ID act was to prevent...

Interpretations of Driving Law Vary Thousands of illegal immigrants in Maryland have been scrambling in recent weeks in last-ditch attempts to get driver's licenses before a law curtailing their privileges takes effect Monday. But for many, the effort will have been a waste of time, caused by confusion and conflicting interpretations over how the new rules work. When the window shuts at the close of business today, they will discover that learner's permits and state-issued identification cards they obtained can't be converted to licenses, as they thought. "There's no question there's mass confusion," said Kim Propeack of CASA of Maryland,...

Few places in Virginia are as draining to the soul and as numbing to the buttocks as the branch offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles. And yet, until recently, smiling was still permitted there. No more. As part of the DMV's effort to develop super-secure driver's licenses and foolproof identification cards, the agency has issued a smile ban, directing customers to adopt a "neutral expression" in their portraits, thereby extinguishing whatever happiness comes with finally hearing one's number called. The driver's license photo, it seems, is destined to look like a mug shot. DMV officials say the smile ban...

The 9/11 Commission made the case that state driver's licenses need to become a more secure cre­dential. Congress acted--twice, passing laws to establish national standards. Now this common-sense initiative is under attack and may never be implemented. Congress and the Administration must act decisively to make the REAL ID program a reality. They need a strategy that encourages states with the capac­ity to implement REAL ID to do so quickly, demonstrating its viabil­ity and value. Once REAL ID is underway, momentum will build for other states to join; their citi­zens will not want to be left out of a...

<p>MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A federal magistrate Wednesday ordered that a man accused of trying to board a plane with $44,000 in cash and nine blank passports be held without bail.</p> <p>The man, identified by federal authorities as Ousman Sillah, faces charges of possessing fake identification and legitimate identification to be used fraudulently.</p>

In an online Spanish language chat room, people from all along the East Coast seek tips on how to get a driver's license in Maryland, though they don't live in Maryland. Businesses run classified ads in Spanish-language publications in the District, Virginia and Maryland urging "undocumented Hispanic friends" to take advantage of the opportunity to get a Maryland ID without having to prove they are in the country legally.

A St. Cloud lawmaker says he has changed his bill that would have barred all headwear in driver's license photos to allow for religious headwear. Rep. Steve Gottwalt says his new bill is a compromise between public safety and cultural respect. The Republican introduced a bill in 2007 and again this year that would have banned all headwear in driver's license photos to make them easier for law enforcement to use.

A St. Cloud lawmaker says a bill that would ban any kind of headwear in a driver's license photo is a matter of public safety. But some Muslims say they have a religious right to cover their heads. State Rep. Steve Gottwalt says banning headwear would make it easier for law enforcement to identify people and it would make it fair for everyone. But Suban Khalif says Muslim women wear a head scarf nearly 24 hours a day as part of their religion, and taking it off — even for a few minutes — is a big deal. Khalif and...

Privacy advocates are issuing warnings about a new radio chip plan that ultimately could provide electronic identification for every adult in the U.S. and allow agents to compile attendance lists at anti-government rallies simply by walking through the assembly. The proposal, which has earned the support of Janet Napolitano, the newly chosen chief of the Department of Homeland Security, would embed radio chips in driver's licenses, or "enhanced driver's licenses." "Enhanced driver's licenses give confidence that the person holding the card is the person who is supposed to be holding the card, and it's less elaborate than REAL ID," Napolitano...

Privacy advocates are issuing warnings about a new radio chip plan that ultimately could provide electronic identification for every adult in the U.S. and allow agents to compile attendance lists at anti-government rallies simply by walking through the assembly. The proposal, which has earned the support of Janet Napolitano, the newly chosen chief of the Department of Homeland Security , would embed radio chips in driver's licenses, or "enhanced driver's licenses." "Enhanced driver's licenses give confidence that the person holding the card is the person who is supposed to be holding the card, and it's less elaborate than REAL ID,"...

Removing All Doubt Obama Would Cede Southwest to Mexico American Patrol Report -- December 19 "We are all Americans, whether you are legalized or not" Anyone who still doubts that Barack Obama is determined to grant de-facto amnesty to millions of illegal aliens should explain to the rest of us why he picked Hilda Solis to be Secretary of Labor. A long-time supporter of la Reconquista, the Mexican takeover of the American Southwest, Solis is also a leader in the movement to silence Americans who speaks out against the invasion, specifically Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly. At a...

An Egyptian national who was in the country illegally told authorities he came to New Mexico because he heard it was the easiest place to get a driver's license, according to a sheriff's department report. New Mexico is one of the states that don't require proof of U.S. citizenship to obtain a driver's license. Karim Shaaban Kassem Ibrahim, who is now facing charges of forgery and identity theft, came to the attention of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department after he applied for a job at Talin Enterprises, a grocery store at Louisiana SE. He applied using the identity of Rami...

It starts with two simple words - "El Tio" or "The Uncle" in English. It's the password that opens the door to a new identity. After receiving a tip from a viewer, CBS 11 News went undercover in Northwest Dallas, along Harry Hines Boulevard to document an elaborate fake ID ring. We sent a CBS 11 employee, undercover, to the location. He asked about getting a Texas ID card and was directed to "El Tio." The employee was then taken across the street to a boot store to have his picture taken. He handed over $20 as an up front...

Message from The National Republican Trust PAC From Scott Wheeler Executive Director Dear Supporter: There he goes again! I appeared on Fox News with Neil Cavuto Friday discussing our new TV ad exposing Obama's radical plan to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens -- and Neil said the Obama campaign refused to come on the show. No surprise here. They are deathly afraid of this issue. But Cavuto did say that Obama campaign now claims that he does not support driver's licenses for illegals. Cavuto mentioned that Fox's own research showed Obama's claim was simply not true. Of course, it's...

Link to video "Obama's Plan: Driver's Licenses for Illegals"It's not that you didn't know this already, but perhaps it's time for a reminder! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbyocX-9_mo

Immigrant advocates and some politicians in South Texas were flummoxed with the handling and timing of a state agency’s move to bar unauthorized immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses — a move some predict will boost the number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on Texas roads. Labeling the policy change as sudden, rash and possibly dubious, they began mobilizing Thursday to try to find out how it all came about. The new rule requires noncitizens to prove they are in the country legally before they are issued a new license, renew an existing one or apply for a state identification card....

Mexican truck drivers allowed to travel throughout the U.S. under a Bush administration demonstration project may not be proficient in English, despite Department of Transportation assurances to the contrary. A brochure on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's website instructs Mexican truck drivers, "Did you know … You MUST be able to read and speak English to drive trucks in the United States." Still, at the Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing Tuesday, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and DOT Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III reluctantly admitted under intense questioning from Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that Mexican drivers were being...

Trinity graduate has family history of schizophrenia "Voices" in the head of an award-winning Irish computer science graduate told him to rob a bank, it was claimed yesterday. Niall Clarke (27) was suffering from schizophrenia when he carried out a botched bank raid in Maine, a mental illness also suffered by his grandmother, said his solicitor yesterday. The brilliant Trinity graduate from Kilrush in Co Clare was sentenced to almost 10 years in prison earlier this week after the 2006 robbery of the Bangor Bank of America. "He was hearing voices that the bank had to be robbed. He said...

Reported by: Joyce Peterson Email: jpeterson@myeyewitnessnews.com Last Update: 2/26 6:29 am Trucking Company Says It Is Not The Focus of Federal Investigation Documents seized during a raid on two truck driving schools and a Driver’s License Bureau. Memphis, TN - Federal and state agents raided two Mid-South truck driving schools and a Memphis driver's license center on February 25, 2008. Both schools, one on Brooks Road in Memphis, and the other on Veterans Parkway in Millington, are operated by Swift Transportation. The state run license center on Shelby Drive in Whitehaven was also targeted in the investigation. The FBI confirms...

WASHINGTON – Two more Iraqis with false Bulgarian passports were detained by Mexican officials in Monterrey – bringing the total to four this month. Wisam Gorgies, a 34-year-old man, and Rana Nazar Peyoz, a 26-year-old woman, reportedly flew from Madrid and landed in Monterrey, according to reports in two Mexican newspapers today. Following questioning, the pair admitted they intended to reach the United States. They were taken to Saltillo in the state of Coahuila, for final determination of their status. Mexican officials said the are investigating "a network that could be made up of Mexicans operating in Greece who are...

Deadline's up to make sure BMV, Social Security records match. The The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles says it will revoke the driver's licenses of up to 56,000 people across the state in coming weeks. They are among the 206,000 people who had received letters in November saying the information on their licenses didn't match Social Security records. Thursday was the deadline to fix the mismatched data -- be it their name, gender, date of birth or Social Security number. The whole effort -- a comparison of the BMV's 6.4 million records with those of Social Security -- had raised...

ICE arrests six illegal aliens in continuation of document fraud case Arrests are related to criminal prosecutions for illegal use of Puerto Rican ID Georgetown, Delaware - Late Monday afternoon special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 6 illegal aliens residing in the Sussex County area as part of a continuing document fraud investigation. The investigation, which started last year, involves the illegal sale and use of valid Puerto Rican birth certificates and associated Social Security cards. The sale and use of these valid identity documents present an obvious national security and public safety concern, because the documents...

It appears Maryland will sit out the state rebellion against the federal Real ID program. Gov. Martin O'Malley's announcement last week that the Motor Vehicle Administration will comply with the costly and controversial program is unfortunate but not entirely unexpected. As recently as last month, MVA officials had been floating the idea of a two-tiered approach to driver's licenses that would create one that met federal security standards and one that didn't require so-called proof of legal presence. But no doubt the negative reaction given New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's similar proposal (from which he eventually backed down) had something...

There are a few scenes in classic movies that are so effective that the dialogue has passed into the common language. One of those is in The Treasure of Sierra Madre. Mexican bandits have confronted American gold miners, including Humphrey Bogart. The bandits claim to be federal police. Challenged to produce their badges, one gives the memorable reply, “Badges? We don’t need no steenkin’ badges.” And then they begin shooting. Well a situation began in New Jersey, then played out in the Court of Appeals of Maryland, which justifies the modified use of that line. It also should concern all...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan's attorney general says illegal immigrants can no longer get a state driver's license. Mike Cox's legal opinion overrules an opinion written in 1995 by former Attorney General Frank Kelley. Michigan is one of a handful of states in which illegal immigrants have been able to get driver's licenses. But Cox says people who aren't lawfully in the U.S. can't be residents of Michigan for the purposes of obtaining a driver's license. The opinion released Thursday may bolster efforts to create a new Michigan driver's license and state identification card. Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land...

The hugeness of the defeat of Spitzer's efforts to grant licenses to illegals is having national repercussions - Oregon's governor is now changing his tune. This article was very enlightening, but more work needs to be done

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The granting of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in the United States may be at the center of the immigration issue and broader U.S.-Mexico relations. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said in a recent presidential debate that granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants "makes a lot of sense." Yet in Mexico, federal law requires proof of Mexican citizenship or a valid visa for a license, USA Today said Friday. "When it comes to foreigners, we're a little more strict here," said Alejandro Ruiz, a director at the Mexican Automobile Association. Proponents for licensing illegal immigrants...

Immigration is becoming for the 2008 election what affirmative action/racial preferences was 15 years ago -- the kind of emotional wedge issue that offers Republicans a way to split rank-and-file Democrats from their leaders. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the battle over programs aimed at helping minorities was a major factor in many political campaigns. The election results often appeared to contradict what seemed to be the public's opinion on the issue. Looking back, much of the confusion stemmed from the wording of many poll questions on the subject. They tended to show strong support for "affirmative action,"...

ALBANY -Gov. Spitzer must have seen the writing in his rearview mirror as he hit brakes on his controversial license plan. Driven by mounting opposition, Gov. Spitzer buckled Tuesday on his controversial plan to issue special driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. "I can confirm that the governor intends to withdraw his plan," Spitzer spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said Tuesday night. Not everybody was happy with the turnaround. Assemblyman Peter Rivera (D-Bronx) blasted the governor, saying, "He created a tremendous amount of hope and now he has let the air out of that hope. I certainly hope this does not help him...

EXCERPT William J. Bratton, former NYC police commissioner under Mayor Giuliani endorsed Gov Spitzer's plan to license illegals. Chief Bratton was NYC police commissioner from 1994-96, during the first term of Mayor Giuliani, but the two men famously feuded, with Giuliani resentful that Mr. Bratton — a pioneer of the city’s Compstat program — was getting credit for the city’s reduction in crime. In March 2007, Giuliani began trying to mend fences with Bratton and met privately; afterward, Mr. Bratton said he “enjoyed” the tête-à-tête. In May 2007, the two men met in Los Angeles. In a statement released by...

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of American adults are opposed to making drivers licenses available to people who are in the country illegally. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 16% take the opposite view and believe that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to get a license. State surveys in Virginia and Kentucky show similar results.

A day after she appeared to struggle to give her views on the subject, Hillary Rodham Clinton offered support today for Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s effort to award New York driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, as her campaign sought to contain potentially damaging fallout from what her own supporters saw as a tense and listless debate performance. Mrs. Clinton’s statement affirming her support of Mr. Spitzer in his office came less than a day after she offered a muddled and hesitant position on the bill, prompting a round of denunciations by her opponents. It signaled the extent to which her advisers...

The Bush administration and New York cut a deal Saturday to create a new generation of super-secure driver's licenses for U.S. citizens, but also allow illegal immigrants to get a version. New York is the fourth state to reach such an agreement on federally approved secure licenses, after Arizona, Vermont and Washington. The issue is pressing for border states, where new and tighter rules are soon to go into effect for crossings. The deal comes about one month after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced a plan whereby illegal immigrants with a valid foreign passport could obtain a license. Saturday's...

Gov. Spitzer announced an indefinite delay in his heavily criticized plan to grant driver's licenses to illegals in order to develop a 3-tiered licensing system that the federal government accepts. Spitzer said the wait will bring New Yorkers "the most secure licensing system in the nation" - although Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff still strongly opposes giving ID to illegal aliens. "...I do not think it's a good idea to give undocumented workers licenses or ID of any kind," said Chertoff, who appeared with Spitzer at the Washington news conference.

When they heard the news that New York governor Eliot Spitzer has issued an executive order permitting illegal aliens to apply for a New York State driver license, Common Sense citizens (whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent) weren’t a bit shocked. After all, they know that the entire Democratic agenda regarding immigration, border security, and illegal aliens is driven by the American Left’s desperate need for a new block of voters to replace the now evaporated coalitions that allowed Democrats to call the political shots from 1932 until 1994. But just in case there’s even one Common Sense person out there...

Democrats fear Gov. Spitzer's controversial plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens has endangered Democrat candidates across the state - even the presidential prospects of Hillary Clinton........ and is producing "a mass exodus" away from Democrat candidates that may lead to unexpected losses in November's local elections.

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has started a major political fight over immigration by ordering state officials to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens, prompting at least one county legislature to defy the executive order and pushing toward a showdown in court. -Snip- The issue heated up late last week, when the Monroe County legislature defied the governor and ordered its county clerk to require anyone seeking a driver's license to provide a valid Social Security number. The decision runs counter to Mr. Spitzer's order, in which illegal aliens with valid foreign passports would be eligible to obtain a state...

ALBANY, Oct. 19 — Drawing on the words of theologians, Gov. Eliot Spitzer two months ago promised a new humility, acknowledging that his administration’s thirst for battle had led to mistakes. Mr. Spitzer, stung by a report that found his aides had used the State Police to tarnish a political rival, said he would continue to debate his foes, but with respect. He would pursue an ambitious agenda, but do so with “constant soul-searching.� But humble pie just does not suit this governor. With his job approval at its lowest point since he arrived in Albany — 41 percent, according...

Illegals OK'd to drive in N.Y. October 20, 2007 By Joseph Curl - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has started a major political fight over immigration by ordering state officials to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens, prompting at least one county legislature to defy the executive order and pushing toward a showdown in court. The embattled governor's order has drawn some acerbic commentary, including a cartoon showing Osama bin Laden as a New York City taxi driver. After spending months trying to deflect charges that he used state police to target the Republican leader of the state Senate, Mr....

Quiet policy twist criticized on security grounds Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, noncitizens who legally obtained New York State driver’s licenses have been given licenses stamped “temporary visitor” along with the date their visa expired. No longer. The Spitzer administration three weeks ago quietly eliminated the state policy that required the special identification stamp on the driver’s licenses for noncitizens who are legally, though temporarily, residing in the United States. The policy change also eliminated the accompanying expiration date that was intended to show when the person’s legal right to be in the United States ended —...

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, noncitizens who legally obtained New York State driver’s licenses have been given licenses stamped “temporary visitor” along with the date their visa expired. No longer. The Spitzer administration three weeks ago quietly eliminated the state policy that required the special identification stamp on the driver’s licenses for noncitizens who are legally, though temporarily, residing in the United States. The policy change also eliminated the accompanying expiration date that was intended to show when the person’s legal right to be in the United States ended — raising the chance that a valuable form...

Two more people have been arrested, and 19 others are still wanted, for allegedly getting Rhode Island driver’s licenses that were falsified by two clerks at the state Division of Motor Vehicles. The clerks had sent the licenses to dozens of illegal immigrants and suspected drug dealers who’d paid middlemen between $2,500 to $3,000 apiece to conceal their identity with a valid license, according to the state police. Some of the “customers” have since been rearrested on drug charges in various states — where their true identity was revealed by fingerprints — but others are on the run. As the...

GOP SPLIT ON GOV'S DRIVE RULE September 25, 2007 -- ALBANY - The state's top Republican leadership unexpectedly split yesterday on the controversial move by Democratic Gov. Spitzer to allow the granting of driver's licenses to illegal aliens. State GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello ripped Spitzer for eliminating the requirement that people provide a Social Security number for a driver's license... But Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno backed Spitzer, saying, "We have hundreds of thousands of aliens here, and I'm not sure it serves the public good to deprive them of their ability to go to school, to go to work,...

AUSTIN – State officials and federal investigators are well aware that a driver's license scam also allowed illegal immigrants to create falsified identities, with Texas car insurance, vehicle registrations and inspection stickers. But none appears to have a concrete plan to prevent it from happening again. Instead, state and county agencies are blaming an archaic system of paper record-keeping and a scattered and decentralized auto licensing process – and, in some cases, pointing the finger at each other. The Dallas County Tax Office, where the immigrants apparently obtained registrations, says it can't investigate without more details from the Department of...

SAUDI ARABIA: WOMAN CHANGES SEX, DREAMS OF DRIVER'S LICENCE (ANSAmed) - RIYADH, AUGUST 21 - A 19-year-old Saudi Arabian woman, Myriam, has undergone a successful sex-change operation in Jeddah and now, with her new name of Khaled, aspires for just one thing: a driving licence. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving, added Okaz daily, reporting the news today. "The first idea that came to my mind a few hours before the operation, was to have a driving licence," Myriam/Khaled told the newspaper, adding she was encouraged by her family to have...

Police roadblocks to remove unlicensed drivers challenged From wire service reports A controversial police technique to remove unlicensed drivers from the roads is being challenged on civil rights grounds, and another federal court decision is expected soon, it was reported today. Police across California are using temporary roadblocks to find unlicensed drivers, and impound their cars. But Latino rights groups say that practice is discriminatory and aimed at undocumented workers, who are unable to pay for their cars' steep impound fees. Los Angeles and Orange counties have joined several other agencies in supporting a state law that requires cars driven...

Two Muslim women had the right to continue wearing their head scarves when sitting for a driver's license photo, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles said. Clerks at separate bureau offices in southwest Ohio were wrong to insist that the women remove the scarves, also known as hijabs, which are expressions of faith and modesty, said Tom Hunter, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the motor vehicles bureau. The bureau's offices in Loveland and Mason retook the photos for free. “It was just a misunderstanding on the part of BMV employees as to what the policy was,”...