Feds uncover fake license scheme for illegal immigrants
02:20 PM CDT on Friday, October 26, 2007
BY JANICE TOMLIN/WFAA-TV

DALLAS — Hundreds of individuals who were in this country illegally have taken advantage of a window of opportunity that allowed them to obtain official Texas licenses.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, the alleged mastermind of this scheme is an Israeli-born taxi driver named Isaac Banai. He came to the United States in 1984 and married an American woman the following year. In 1996, he became a naturalized citizen. He now lives in an upscale neighborhood in far North Dallas.

A 32-count indictment charges Banai with helping more than 350 illegal immigrants get official Texas driver's licenses, despite the fact that their visas had expired or never existed. Some of those illegal immigrants were from countries with terrorist ties -- like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. If convicted, Banai faces 470 years in prison.

Senator John Carona is chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security, and says his committee will hold hearings next month to find out how this could have happened. “All of us in government have to take responsibility for it,â€